Historical Note:

"Lady" and Gentlemen . . .

On October 28, 1886 a group of New York men were introduced to a stunning French woman new in town: the Statue of Liberty. Since women were rarely invited to such public events, the sculptor's wife was the only one woman present at the unveiling of France's gift to America. But a boat in the harbor carrying 200 women suffragists neared the shore and a voice cried out, "We praise the embodiment of liberty as a woman. But is it not despicable that if Liberty had life, she could vote neither in the United States, nor in France?"

Name Origin: English. (Named after the Duke of York, later James II)

Capital: Albany

Population: 18,169,000

Area: 49,108 square miles

Statehood: July 26, 1788 (11th)

Nickname: The Empire State

Motto: "Ever upward"

Famous For: Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Empire State Building, Times Square, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park, Madison Square Garden, Madison Avenue,Wall Street, Brooklyn Bridge, Catskill Forest, Adirondack Mountains, Finger Lakes, Hudson River, Niagra Falls, Long Island