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Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 10 general entries.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 New York People
| Our last great New Yorker was one of its greatest governors and a favorite of the working class. In 1928, he became the first Irish-Catholic to win a major-party presidential nomination. Although he lost the election, he became the president of Empire State, Inc., the corporation which built and operated the Empire State Building. Who is this man? | Famous New Yorkers
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Alfred "Al" Smith. There are many buildings, schools, and parks named after Al Smith, who was also famous for saying, "All the ills of democracy can be cured by more democracy."
| Although born in Boston, this woman became a powerful figure in New York politics and then U.S. politics. In 1926, she was appointed chairperson of the New York State Industrial Commission. In 1933, FDR appointed her Secretary of Labor, making her the first female cabinet member. Who is she? | Famous New Yorkers
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Frances Perkins. As a young woman, Frances Perkins was an eyewitness to the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. It's little wonder, then, that she would champion industrial safety laws, a minimum wage, and the New Deal.
| Born Emanuel Goldenberg, this actor was raised on the lower East Side, and went on to play a lot of tough guys in Hollywood films. By what name is Emanuel Goldenberg better known? | Famous New Yorkers
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Edward G. Robinson. Robinson was born in Romania, but his family moved to New York when he was a boy. The "G." in Edward G. Robinson stands for Goldenberg.
| One of the most famous New Yorkers of the 20th century was Shirley Chisholm. What did she do to make her so famous? | Famous New Yorkers
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All of these (She was the first African-American to make a bid for the Presidency, She was the first African-American woman elected to Congress, She was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus). Shirley Chisholm was an indefatigable fighter for the working and middle classes. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993.
| Not all New Yorkers were famous for doing good things. This person, for example, bilked the city's treasury of millions of dollars during the Civil War era, and became the emblem of corrupt politics. Who was this one time member of the New York Senate and boss of Tammany Hall? | Famous New Yorkers
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William M. Tweed. The "Tweed" Courthouse is the most renowned example of his corruption: one plasterer was paid over $100,000 in kickbacks. However, Tweed was caught, and he died in a jail he once had built.
| This man was at one time Fiorello LaGuardia's right-hand man. Later, he would become a thorn in LaGuardia's (and many others') sides. Who is this man? | Famous New Yorkers
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Robert Moses. Moses was a valuable asset to LaGuardia during the Depression, as he paved the way, literally, for the traffic and parks needs of the city. But as he accumulated more power to himself, Moses became--in his own mind--the real leader of the city. By LaGuardia's last years, the two had taken to cursing each other in public.
| This future president of the United States watched Abraham Lincoln's funeral cortege pass beneath the window of his bedroom. Who was it? | Famous New Yorkers
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Theodore Roosevelt. Teddy Roosevelt often recollected that sad day in his writings. In fact, there is a photo of Lincoln's procession passing by his birthplace. Children are perched at an upper floor window, and one of the children is, reputedly, Teddy!
| Arguably the most important New Yorker of the 19th Century, this man was responsible for the development of the street grid plan of the city, as well as the creation of the Erie Canal. What is this famous New Yorker's name? | Famous New Yorkers
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DeWitt Clinton. Clinton's heroics didn't end there. He also pushed for free education for the poor.
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