Sam Wilson, a meatpacker from Troy who's caricature Uncle
Sam came to personify the United States is buried at Troy's Oakwood
Cemetery. During the War of 1812, he stamped "U.S. Beef" on his products
which soldiers interpreted the U.S. abbreviation as meaning Uncle Sam.
The Genesee River is one of the few rivers in the world that flows south
to north.
Rochester is known as both the Flour City and the Flower City. The
community is home to the first abolitionist group, bloomers, marshmallows,
Jell-O, French's Mustard, baby shoes, gold teeth and the mail chute.
Gennaro Lombardi opened the first United States pizzeria in 1895 in New
York City.
On July 28, 1945 an Army Air Corps B-25 crashed into the Empire State
Building at the 79th floor level.
New York's largest lake in Oneida measures 79.8 square miles.
New York's highest waterfall is the 215 foot Taughannock.
The Erie Canal, built across New York State in the 1820s, opened the
Midwest to development and helped New York City become a worldwide trading
center.
The first Boy's Club was established in New York City in 1876.
European settlers who brought seeds to New York introduced apples in the
1600s.
The Big Apple is a term coined by musicians meaning to play the big
time.
The first Eagle Scout was Arthur R. Eldred from Troop 1 in Oceanside. He
was bestowed the honor in May 1912.
Ten Mile River Boy Scout Camp in Narrowsburg is the largest council
owned camp in the country.
Joseph C. Gayetty of New York City invented toilet paper in 1857.
Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken Jr. played against each other
in Rochester vs. Pawtucket Red Sox in the longest game in baseball history.
The game went a total of 33 innings.
The oldest cattle ranch in the US was started in 1747 at Montauk on Long
Island.
Adirondack Park is larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon,
Glacier, and Olympic Parks combined.
New York was the first state to require license plates on cars.
Niagara Reservation became the first state park in the United States.
Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site in Newburgh was the first
publicly owned historic site.
New York State is home to 58 species of wild orchids.
New York has over 70,000 miles of rivers and streams.
The first public brewery in America was established by Peter Minuit at
the Market (Marckvelt) field in lower Manhattan.
Mount Kisco's landmark, a statue of Chief Kisco, was once
an elaborate fountain for watering horses. The statue stands at the
intersection of Routes 117 and 133. D.F. Gorham, a strong supporter of
prohibition, presented it to Mount Kisco in 1907. The inscription on the
base to the statue reads "God's Only Beverage for Man and Beast."
The name Canandaigua (pronounced Can-an-DAY-gwa) is derived from a
Native American word meaning the chosen spot.
Horseheads is the first and only village in the United States dedicated
to the service of the American military horse.