CHRONOLOGY OF NEW YORK CITY'S FACTUAL "FIRST" 1524-1999
Researched and Compiled by Miriam Medina

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*Please note this is a work in progress. New researched information will be added periodically.

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1) Dr. Simon Baruch Public Bath, the first public bathhouse in New York. It was due to Dr. Baruch's prodding that the City of New York built the bath house in 1901.

2) Flatiron Building (Daniel Burnham): 22 stories

3) Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian electrical engineer, transmitted the first wireless signal in 1895. By the turn of the century he had formed telegraph companies in England and opened the first wireless office in New York City.

4) The Edison Manufacturing Company opens a movie studio on East 21st Street. Thomas Edison later moves the studio to the Bronx in 1907. *nyca

5) United Irish League of America. An association of Irish-Americans which is practically the successor of the Parnell Land League and of the Irish Federated Societies in sympathy with the Land League Movement. It was provisionally established in New York,
December 4, 1901 * (n.i.e.)

6) The Hall of Fame For Great Americans at 181 street and University Ave, in the Bronx, was dedicated in 1901. * (Museums)

7) George (Michael) Cohan, American actor, songwriter, playwright and producer. The first play he wrote produced and acted in was the "Governor's Son" in 1901. During the course of his career he wrote "Give my Regards to Broadway". * (Benet's)

8) Jewish Hospital of Brooklyn, Classon and St. Marks avs. Est'd 1901. Capacity, 235. Private. * (Polk's)

9 ) Jacob A. Cantor, (Politician) In 1901 he was elected president of the borough of Manhattan on a fusion ticket, the first Jew to hold that office. * (eojk)

10) Amityville: Knickerbocker Hall, Division av, a New York Sanitarium was established in 1901. Capacity 36. Private. * (Polk's)

11) Brooklyn: Willis Sanitarium, 374 Ocean Pkway. Established in 1901. Capacity, 24. Private. * (Polk's)

12) Society of Illustrators, 128 E. 63rd Street in New York City was established in 1901. * (t.a.)

13) 1901 Alfred Wolff designs a cooling system for the New York Stock Exchange using a 300-ton cogeneration system that provided free cooling.

14) Streetcars are converted to electricity .

Samuel June Barrows, American clergyman and reformer born in NYC. IN 1901 especially interested in obtaining better treatment of prisoners, he helped draft and secure passage of NYS's first probation law. * (c.e.)

15) Rose Hawthorne Lathrop, American nun, philanthropist and writer. She founded St. Rose's Free Home for Incurable Cancer in New York City and in 1901 she established for the same purpose "Rosary Hill" Home at Hawthorne, N.Y. a place named after her. * (c.e.)

(16) The Rockefeller Institute a philanthropic organization in NYC founded in 1901 by John D. Rockefeller for furthering medical science and its allied subjects and to make knowledge of these subjects available to the public. * (c.e.)


(17) The Rabbi Jacob Joseph School at 165 Henry Street, is a yeshiva which is named after the only chief Rabbi the Jews of New York ever had. Originally established in 1901 by Rabbi Jacob L. Andron and his father, Rabbi Samuel L. Andron, it was then known as the Beth Seifer Tifereth Yerushalaim. * (ajtg)

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1) Millar Hutchinson, based in New York, invents the first electrical hearing aid. *nyca

2) Air conditioner invented in Brooklyn by Willis Haviland Carrier, July 20, 1902.

3) The Bayside Yacht Club, founded in 1902.

4) Winthrop E. Scarrett of the Automobile Club of America in New York City, as its first president in 1902.

5) Bradford Street Hospital (Branch King's County Hospital. at 109 Bradford was established in 1902. Capacity, 8. Public. * (Polk's)

6) Cumberland Street Hospital (Homo) in Brooklyn, located at 105-111 Cumberland. Est'd 1902. Capacity, 200. Public. * (Polks)

7) (Coney Island) Reception Hospital (Branch Kings County Hospital) Seabreeze av . was established in 1902. Capacity, 8. Public. * (Polk's)

8) BROOKLYN: Skene Sanitarium, 759 President. Established in 1902. Capacity, 33. Private. * (Polk's)

9) The Teddy Bear was created in 1902 by Morris Michtom a Russian born toymaker from Brooklyn, New York. *(fff)

10) The twenty-story Whitehall Building, named for Peter Stuyvesant's seventeenth-century house that had been located nearby, was constructed in 1902-04 and designed by the preeminent turn-of -the-century architect Henry J. Hardenbergh. * (nyclc)

11) 1902 - The first indoor professional American football game is played.

12) Peter Cooper Hewitt, American scientist and inventor born in NYC. In 1902 Hewitt developed the first mercury arc rectifier, which was an efficient way of converting alternating current power to direct current for use in electric railways, industry, and HVDC power transmission. * (c.e.)

13) Mary Kingsbury Simkhovitch, American social worker. In 1902 she and several others founded Greenwich house in the Greenwich Village district of NYC which became famous for its activity. * (c.e.)

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1) Williamsburgh Bridge opens. The bridge connected the Lower East Side of Manhattan and the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

2) New York Stock Exchange Building, 8 Broad Street, George B. Post [1903]

3) 1903 Enrico Caruso gives his first performance at the Metropolitan Opera. * (nyct)

4) The first law governing the practice of nursing in New York State was passed in 1903 and contained a provision that its administration be placed under the New York Board of Regents. * (NYS History) Vol: V

5) The Colony Club,was the earliest club in New York City created just for women was founded in 1903. Its first facility was erected
on Madison Avenue at 29th Street and is now the American Academy of Arts.

6) Williams and Walker I Countee Cullen open "In Dahomey," the first all-Black musical on a major Broadway stage. * (charter)

7) Norwegian Christian Home for Aged. in Brooklyn, at 67th, between 12th and 13th avs. was established in 1903. * (Polk's)

8) Riverside Sanatorium for Consumptives. North Brother Island, was established in 1903. Capacity, 325. Public (Health Department). * (Polk's)

9) Catholic Daughters of the America, 10 W. 71st Street in New York City was founded in 1903. * (t.a.)

10) Lyceum Theater, at 149 W 45th Street, between 6th & 7th Avenues was completed in 1903. Architect Herts & Tallant

11) New Amsterdam Theater, at 214 W 42 Street, between 7th & 8th Avenues was completed in 1903. Architect Herts & Tallant.

12) Pediatrician Sarah Baker becomes the city's first female assistant health commissioner - her all-male staff resigns in protest.

13) The City's first traffic regulations for automobile went into effect in 1903. * (Epic)

14) 1903 - The Wizard of Oz is Broadway hit.

15) John Murphy Farley, founded Cathedral College in 1903. Consecrated St. Patrick's Cathedral in 1910.*(docb)

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1) The first New York City Subway opens on October 27, and passengers pay a nickel.

2) The Hispanic Society of America was founded on May 18, 1904, by Archer Milton Huntington. The Society first opened its doors in 1908 at the Beaux-Arts building on Audubon Terrace that still serves as its home.

3) Mounted police were used for the first time in New York City, September 9, 1904.

4) New York City police arrest a woman for smoking in public, while riding in an open automobile. It is said that the policemen told her, "You can't do that on Fifth Avenue!" 28 September. A first.

5) The New York Cancer Hospital -- now Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center -- is the first hospital in the country to use radiation therapy, only six years after the discovery of radium. *nyca

6) Dildarian Bros. at 548 Amsterdam avenue, New York was established in 1904. Oriental Rugs bought, sold and exchanged. *(Blue)

7) Big Brother Movement, Inc., a Philanthropic Society located at 315 Fourth avenue in New York City, was founded in 1904. * (Blue)

8) The American Academy of Arts & Letters on Broadway at 155th Street was established in 1904. * (Museums)

9) Dyker Heights Institution (for Blind Babies). in Brooklyn at 84th and 13th av. was established in 1904. Capacity. 30. Private. *
(Polk's)

10) (Coney Island)--Sea Breeze Hospital, 29th and Surf av. was established in 1904. Capacity, 45. Private. * (Polk's)

11) Bibliographical Society of America, P.O. Box 397 Grand Central Station, in New York City was founded in 1904. * (t.a.)

12) National Child Labor Committee, 1501 Broadway, New York City was founded in 1904. * (t.a.)

13) The St. Regis Hotel in New York was opened on September 4, 1904.

14) This elegant commercial building, constructed in 1904-05 for the Gorham Manufacturing Company, contained its wholesale and retail showrooms, offices, and workshops. Designed by Stanford White of the prominent architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White * (nyclc)

15) Free public lectures under the Department of Education of New York City were inaugurated in 1904 * (c.e.)

16) C. M. S. McLellan's Leah Kleschna, starring Minnie Madern Fiske and George Arliss, opens at New York's Manhattan Theatre. * (ez-net)

17) 1904 - Al Smith is sworn in for his first term in the New York State Legislature.

18) On October 8, 1904 first Vanderbilt cup an international auto race sponsored by industrialists. William K. Vanderbilt Jr. is won by A.L. Campbell. * (c.e.)

19) Hotel McAlpen on Broadway at 34th street NYC. A 1904 hotel.

20)Apr 21 1904: New York City's Polo Grounds sports field opens.* (ez-net)


21) In 1904, Joseph Pulitzer gave Columbia $1,000,000 for the establishment of a School of Journalism.

22) 1904 - Little Johnny Jones is George M. Cohan's first Broadway hit.

23) George Bernard Shaw's Candida has its New York premiere at the Madison  Square Theatre. January 4, 1904 * (ez-net)

24) Anne Crawford Flexner's adaptation of Alice Hegan Rice's Mrs Wiggs of the  Cabbage Patch and Lovey Mary, under the first title, opens at New York's  Savoy Theatre on September 13, 1904. * (ez-net)

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1) The Long Island Railroad installs a third rail, becoming the first American railroad to have no steam locomotives running on its tracks.

2) The New York City Reformatory for misdemeanants was established by Chapter 305 of the Laws of 1905, with an amendment under Chapter 516 of the Laws of 1907, limiting commitments to first offenders.

3) 1905: America's First Pizzeria Opens. Lombardi's Coal Oven Pizzeria Napoletana, on Spring Street.(newsday.com--C. Blair)

4) Coney Island's first Mardi Gras Festival was held in September and attracted 300,000 people. It became a yearly tradition at the close of the summer season.

5) Water pipes were laid in 1905 and a brick building was erected, the first in the village of Lynbrook outside of the railroad freight house.

6) As late as 1905, when millionaire Andrew Carnegie erected his mansion at Fifth Avenue and 91st Street, * (mcny.org)

7) International Sunshine Hospital Sanitarium and Rest Cure, in Brooklyn at Cropsey and 23'd avenues. was established in 1905. Capacity, 50. Private. * (Polk's)

8 ) St. Vincent's Home, Boerum place and State. in Brooklyn was established in 1905. Capacity, 250. Private. * (Polk's)

9) July 18, 1905. First electric train runs on Long Island Railroad from Flatbush to Rockaway Beach

10) Brooklyn: Kinloch's Sanitarium, 430 Gates av. Est'd 1905. Private. Capacity, 11. Propr, Robert E. Kinloch, M.D. * (Polk's)

11) New York: Dr. Conrad Sanitarium The Maternity Aid. New York Office, 110 W. 90th. Est'd 1905. Capacity, 20. Private. * (Polk's)

12) Hudson Sanitarium, 2366 7th av. Est'd 1905. Capacity, 14.Private. * (Polk's)

13) Riverdale Sanitarium (West Hill), W. 252d nr. Broadway. Was established in 1905. Capacity, 20. Private. * (Polk's)

14) National Audubon Society, 700 Broadway in New York City was founded in 1905. * (t.a.)

15) Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer, editor, and art exhibitor, The first art photographer in the United States, In 1905 he established the famous gallery "291" at 291 Fifth Ave., New York City, for the exhibition of photography as a fine art. * (bartleby)

16) "The Pen of New York City" was incorporated on January 8, 1905 to promote social and business intercourse between newspapermen of NYC with those of other cities and for the betterment of the social and business conditions of its members. * (NYT)

17) Julliard School of Music in New York City was established in 1905 as the "Institute of Musical Art" chartered 1926 as the Julliard School of Music with 2 separate units, the Julliard Graduate School (1924) and Institute of Musical Art, then amalgamated into a single school in 1946. * (c.e.)

18) Oct 10 1905: George Bernard Shaw's John Bull's Other Island has its U. S. debut in New York City. * (ez-net)

19) Henry Wellington Laidler, American economist and socialist leader born in Brooklyn, N.Y. He was the founder (1905) of the "Intercollegiate Socialist Society. * (c.e.)

20) George Bernard Shaw's You Never Can Tell opens in New York City on January 9 , 1905. * (ez-net)

21) U. Olga Samaroff, American pianist and educator. Her American debut (1905) was in New York City. * (c.e.)

22) Belmont Park, the famous race track, opened in 1905, is named for August Belmont, Jewish-born horse-breeder, diplomat and banker. * (ajtg)

23) National Audubon Society, 950 Third Ave., N.Y.,N.Y. was established in 1905. * (w.a.)

24) David Belasco's stage extravaganza, Girl of the Golden West, opens at New  York's Belasco Theatre on November 14, 1905. * (ez-net)

23) 1905 - Variety begins publication.

24) May 1905: Ethel Barrymore opens in Hendrik Ibsen's A Doll's House in New York City. * (ez-net)

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1) American Magazine was established in 1906. * (NYS History) Vol: V.

2) The New York Association for the Blind, at 111 East 59th street was incorporated in 1906.

3) Janes-Reynolds Co., Inc. Chimney Engineers at 218 East 52nd Street was established in 1906. * (Blue)

4) The American Mutoscope Company, one of the earliest film companies in New York, opens a film studio at 841 Broadway. * (nyca)

5) Bay Ridge Hospital, in Brooklyn, N.Y. at 60th and 2d avenue, was established in 1906. * (Polks)

6) George M. Cohan's George Washington, Jr. opens at New York's Herald Square  Theatre, with Cohan himself introducing the song The Grand Old Rag (soon  changed to You're a Grand Old Flag). His song I Was Born in Virginia is also  introduced in the show on 2/12/1906. * (ez-net)

7) Denmark Home for Aged, in Brooklyn at 1051 41st. was established in 1906. Capacity, 20. Private. *(Polk's)

8) Samaritan Hospital 4th avenue and 17th.in Brooklyn, was established in 1906. Capacity, 35. Public. * (Polk's)

9) Alfred Stieglitz's Camera Notes announces the establishment of his Little  Galleries of the Photo-Secession, at 291 Fifth Avenue in New York City. The  same issue carries photographs of the city by Edward Steichen and an article  by George Bernard Shaw on April 1906. * (ez-net).

10) Swedish Hospital. 126 Rogers avenue. in Brooklyn was opened in 1906. Capacity, 50. Private. * (Polk's)

9 ) Brooklyn: International Sunshine Sanitarium and Rest Home. Cropsey and 23d avs, Bensonhurst-by-the-Sea. Established in 1906. Capacity, 50. Private. * (Polk's)

10) Sep 24 1906: Victor Herbert and Henry Blossom's The Red Mill opens at New York's Knickerbocker Theater. * (ez-net)

11) Manhattan. Hill Sanatorium, 317 W. 136th. Est'd 1906. Capacity, 16. Private. * (Polk's)

12) 1906 Streets are laid out for development in Forest Hills, Queens * (nyct)

13) American Jewish Committee at 386 Fourth Ave., N.Y.C. Established 1906. * (ajyb)

14) David Belasco and Richard Walton Tully's play The Rose of the Rancho opens at New York's Belasco Theatre on November 27, 1906. * (ez-net).

15) Genevieve Gorvan Brady Macaulay in 1906 founded the Carroll Club for girls in NYC. *(docb)

Continue on Page: 2  (1907-1912)