New York City during the 1910s was a ball of motion with no signs of slowing down. The city grew and evolved with every passing year. In 1910, the original Pennsylvania Station was launched, becoming a central hub of transportation. Three years later, Grand Central Terminal also opened up.
New York in the 1910s
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire happened on March 25, 1911, and took 145 innocent lives; the fire prompted the city to establish proper fire safety regulations.
World War I began in 1914, sending the country into a wartime society. When the war ended in 1918, soldiers returned home, and a new battle emerged. The Spanish Influenza raged through the country; over 20,000 New Yorkers died from the flu.
The 1910s also marked the beginning of New York’s new nickname as the “Big Apple.” Performers from out of town began referring to their shows as “apples.” Gigs performed in any other location was referred to as “little apples,” whereas a gig in NYC was a “big apple.” At the time, New York was seen as the place to be if you “made it” then you had a golden ticket to “make it.”
These amazing photos show what New York looked like in the 1910s.
Hudson River and Riverside Park, New York, October 1910
Metropolitan Life Building, Madison Square, New York, 1910
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Building, New York, 1910
Fifth Avenue at West 43rd Street, New York, circa 1911
Grant’s Tomb and rubber-neck auto on Riverside Drive, New York, circa 1911
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