Iconic New York

What took place before April 30, 1789, that brought George Washington to Federal Hall in New York City on that day? The British colonies in North America fought for and won independence from Great Britain. 

After long debate and great compromises, the new states ratified the United States Constitution, creating a government of 3 branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. Unanimously elected as the first chief executive, or president, of the United States, Washington paid off his debts and travelled from Virginia to New York.

New York’s City Hall became Federal Hall in 1785, not long after the city became the nation’s first capital. The building was demolished in 1812. The custom house built on the site in 1842 now serves as the Federal Hall National Memorial.

Born in 1732, Washington grew up in the Virginia Colony. At 21, he was a major in the British Army. In 1775, he was appointed commander of the Continental Army. The victory of his troops at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781 was decisive in the War of Independence.

John Adams accompanied Washington to Federal Hall in 1789 to be inaugurated as his vice president. He was an early advocate for American independence and signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. In 1796, he became the second president of the United States.

The Continental Army was established by the Second Continental Congress in 1775. It was a permanent fighting force of paid troops, different from the volunteer militias that operated in the colonies. The miserable conditions suffered by Continental Army soldiers throughout the Revolution are legendary.

When people think about World War II, they often imagine fighting across Europe. But the fighting in the Pacific with Germany’s ally Japan was also intense and cost many thousands of lives. The European war ended on May 8, 1945, with Germany’s surrender. 

The war with Japan went on until, in August 1945, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Americans celebrated V-J—or Victory over Japan—Day on August 14, 1945, the day they learned the Japanese had surrendered.

Well, not quite. In Japan, on August 15, 1945—because of the time difference, it was August 14 in the U.S.—Emperor Hirohito announced his country’s unconditional surrender. But the official surrender was not signed until September 2, 1945.

The identity of the sailor is not certain. There is evidence to support the claims of both George Mendonsa and Glenn McDuffie to have been the guy who planted the famous kiss. Both were in Times Square that day.

Greta Zimmer was almost certainly the girl. In fact, she wasn’t a nurse but a dental assistant. This is how she described the moment: “That man was very strong. I wasn’t kissing him. He was kissing me.”

In 1924, R. H. Macy & Co.’s flagship department store in Herald Square was expanded to cover an entire city block. What better way to promote the “World’s Largest Store” than to throw a parade? 

The lineup stretched for two city clocks and included 3 horse-drawn floats, 4 bands, and animals from the Central Park Zoo. Santa Claus brought up the rear just as he has done every year since. The parade was a huge local success. Today, it’s an American tradition.

The parade draws huge crowds—over 3.5 million people line the 2.5-mile route from W. 77th St. and Central Park West to W. 34th St. and 7th Ave. Another 50 million people watch the parade on TV.

The gigantic helium balloons for which the parade is famous were introduced in 1927. For some people, the Giant Balloon Inflation, which takes place the evening before the parade in areas surrounding the Museum of Natural History, is even better than the parade itself.

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, at W. 65th St. and Central Park West, hosts its own iconic New York event. For the past 49 years, it has presented the sacred music of J. S. Bach and his contemporaries at the Sunday evening Vespers service.

Moving south on Central Park West, the parade passes some of the park’s most well-known landmarks, including Strawberry Fields, the Sheep Meadow, Tavern on the Green, the Heckscher Ballfields, and the Maine Monument at Columbus Circle.