Looking back at Hudson River history on the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's epic sail
Just as a river is considered the lifeblood of any city, within the murky waters of the Hudson flows the history of New York - the great metropolis that began as a little Dutch trading colony named Nieuw Amsterdam.
As New York State gets ready to throw a big birthday bash this week for the "oldest" river in the U.S., the boatload of events and exhibits around town aren't just for commemorating Henry Hudson's discovery 400 years ago - they're a celebration of the city itself.
It's that historic mix of military conquests and maritime marvels, of infamous murders and modern-day acts of courage, that give the Hudson - and by extension, New York - its unique identity.
But it was Hudson, an Englishman working for the Dutch India Company, who in September 1609 sailed into what is now New York Harbor aboard a cramped ship named the Half Moon. He became the first to explore the river at length.
What is now Manhattan was a Dutch settlement until 1674, when England seized the city and changed its name to New York. By the following century, as the Hudson became a major shipping route, the towns along its banks would be the scenes of several key Revolutionary War battles...
Read entire article at New York Daily News
As New York State gets ready to throw a big birthday bash this week for the "oldest" river in the U.S., the boatload of events and exhibits around town aren't just for commemorating Henry Hudson's discovery 400 years ago - they're a celebration of the city itself.
It's that historic mix of military conquests and maritime marvels, of infamous murders and modern-day acts of courage, that give the Hudson - and by extension, New York - its unique identity.
But it was Hudson, an Englishman working for the Dutch India Company, who in September 1609 sailed into what is now New York Harbor aboard a cramped ship named the Half Moon. He became the first to explore the river at length.
What is now Manhattan was a Dutch settlement until 1674, when England seized the city and changed its name to New York. By the following century, as the Hudson became a major shipping route, the towns along its banks would be the scenes of several key Revolutionary War battles...