In 1785 New York City Became the National Capital and Continued on and of as Such Until 1790
The 2021/22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is fast becoming one of the tightest and most thrilling seasons in series history. This weekend, Formula E returns to New York City's Brooklyn Street Circuit for Rounds 11 & 12 – we've taken a look at NYC to give you the lowdown on the city that never sleeps.
The (very) Big Apple
New York City is the most populous city in the United States: with almost nine million residents, it's home to more than twice the amount of people in the country's second-largest city, Los Angeles. The majority of New Yorkers live on Long Island, in the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn – the home of Formula E's Street Circuit.
Important in the early days of the United States as a trading port, New York was the country's capital for a short time, from 1785 until 1790, and was the first national capital under the Constitution of the United States, holding George Washington's inauguration as the first President. In 1790, it officially became the country's largest city, overtaking Philadelphia, and has kept the status ever since.
What's in a name?
New York wasn't always called New York. The city began in 1624 as a trading outpost on Manhattan Island, set up by Dutch colonists who named their new slice of home Nieuw Amsterdam. By 1653 the outpost had become a city, but 11 years later was under English control and renamed New York after King Charles II gifted it to his brother, the Duke of York. While the Dutch recaptured the city in 1673 and renamed it New Orange, the name didn't stick, and the city has been called New York since 1674.
Culture
New York is the most linguistically-diverse city in the world, with as many as 800 languages spoken. As the historical gateway to the US for immigrants looking for a better life, New York remains a symbol of cultural interaction: the term "melting pot" was actually first mentioned in reference to the city. Between 1892 and 1954, more than 12 million immigrants passed through the famous Ellis Island immigration processing station, and today, more than a third of New York's population was born outside the United States.
Landmarks
With so many cultures and backgrounds convening on the city, it's no surprise that some of the world's most recognisable and important landmarks are found there. Three of the city's landmarks make the global top ten most visited: the neon-hued, hyperactive Times Square; Central Park, the most filmed location in the world; and Grand Central Terminal, the gateway to Midtown Manhattan.
Some of our most famous plays and musicals have been given their start off the bright lights of Broadway, and the entertainment heritage continues at 30 Rockefeller Plaza – 30 Rock – where shows such as Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show are filmed for a global audience.
Madison Square Garden has played host to some of sport's most famous moments, including " The Fight of the Century" between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1971, and the impressive Yankee Stadium and Citi Field are the homes of New York's Major League Baseball teams, the Yankees and Mets.
Finally, the Statue of Liberty was a gift to the US from France as a symbol of the country's move to an independent democracy: the tablet in her left hand is inscribed July 4, 1776, the date of the US Declaration of Independence. It's the first monument all immigrants arriving by boat will have seen throughout the city's incredible history.
Cash is king
New York is sometimes called the capital of the world, due to its status as a global centre for finance and investment. A combination of the US Dollar's role as the world's reserve currency and the city's background as a trading hub and home to Wall Street make New York an irresistible prospect for businesses the world over, from worldwide banking, to retail, tourism, media, law, fashion, theatre and technology, among many other sectors.
This popularity brings with it financial might. New York is home to the highest number of billionaires of any city in the world, and the New York metropolitan area was estimated in 2018 to produce a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of nearly $1.8 trillion, comfortably the highest in the country. If it were a sovereign state, it would have the eighth-largest global econom y, bigger than Canada and South Korea – not bad for an unassuming trading outpost.
NYC and green initiatives
A city the size of New York is both a challenge and opportunity for the development of green initiatives due to its economic importance and enthusiasm for experimentation.
While such a densely populated area is bound to produce higher levels of pollution, mass transit use in New York City – over 55% of commuters use public transport – means that petrol consumption is at the rate the national average was in the 1920s, and greenhouse gas emissions are a fraction of the current national average.
The city is in fact one of the most energy efficient in the United States, responsible for 1% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions from 2.7% of its total population.
Air pollution is a challenge the city is facing through the largest clean-air diesel-hybrid and compressed natural gas bus fleet in the US, along with a growing number of hybrid taxis.
Since the 1990s, initiative to reduce energy usage have included switching more than 11,000 traffic lights in the city to energy-efficient LEDs and writing into law that governmental bodies may only purchase the most efficient cars and equipment available.
The electricity used to power the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and other federal buildings is provided by wind power, supporting 27 million kilowatt hours each year.
Motoring background
Long before Formula E came to Brooklyn's shores, the first motor race along the city's streets was back in 1896. The Cosmopolitan Road Race, consisting of a 96.6km track through the streets of the city, was won by Frank Duryea of the Duryea Motor Company of Chicopee, Massachusetts, in a blistering time of seven hours and thirteen minutes.
Frank had won the first ever US motor race the year before, the Chicago-Times Herald Race, beating three cars made by Karl Benz. Mercedes EQ Formula E's Stoffel Vandoorne and Nick de Vries will be hoping this weekend's New York E-Prix will be slightly more successful.
Return to New York City
New York City is playing host to Formula E for a fifth time, and is a favourite of many drivers due to its proximity to the city's concentrated number of iconic landmarks. In the Marrakesh post-race press conference, DS TECHEETAH's Antonio Felix Da Costa was effusive in his praise for New York: "It's just an amazing city to go to, so I'm really looking forward to getting out there and exploring the city a little bit. When you're racing with that backdrop, it's just a cool feeling. It's been a good track for me lately, with a couple of podiums in the last few years, so we'll see."
Previous winners
Only one driver has won in New York more than once, making NYC particularly fruitful ground for Sam Bird. The now-Jaguar TCS Racing driver won both of New York's inaugural races in 2017 and the second race in Season 7, making him the only multiple winner in the city. The New York E-Prix does, however, stand as the last place Bird, Maximilian Guenther, Robin Frijns and Sebastien Buemi reached the top of the podium – in Season 7 for Bird and Guenther, and 2019's Season 5 for Frijns and Buemi. Each will be hoping to rediscover their winning affinity for the Brooklyn Street Circuit.
Track lowdown
Home of the New York E-Prix since 2017, the Brooklyn Street Circuit is located in the Borough's Red Hook neighbourhood, next to Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. Following the winding streets and huge parking areas of the terminal, the track also overlooks the iconic Downtown Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty.
For the 2018 race, the track was extended to include the longer loop at turns 1-4 and accommodate the increased power of the Gen2 car. This year, the 2.32km, 14-turn Red Hook racetrack remains unchanged from its well-loved layout. The revised ATTACK MODE from last year's race is also still in place, with the loop on the outside of Turn 10.
Source: https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2022/july/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-new-york
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