A surprising fact about New York State is that a B-25 bomber crashed into the 78th and 79th floors of the Empire State Building on July 28, 1945, and an elevator operator survived a 75-story fall, setting a Guinness World Record. Other key facts include:
New York has over 70,000 miles of rivers and streams. The Hudson River is the state's longest river at 306 miles. The first election for governor took place between Philip Schuyler and George Clinton in 1777. Clinton won and served as governor for the next 18 years.
The state attracts visitors from all over the globe, with the highest count of any U.S. state in 2022. Many of its landmarks are well known, including four of the world's ten most-visited tourist attractions in 2013: Times Square, Central Park, Niagara Falls, and Grand Central Terminal.
Here are 10 unbelievable facts: identical twins have different fingerprints, a teaspoon of a neutron star weighs billions of tons, the Eiffel Tower grows in summer, the shortest war ever lasted 38 minutes, Africa is the only continent in all four hemispheres, you can't hum while holding your nose, the US and Russia are only two miles apart, plants make half our oxygen, the "Mona Lisa" has no eyebrows, and the planet Venus rotates clockwise, unlike most planets.
The "20-hour rule in NY" refers to the New York State Paid Prenatal Leave Law, effective January 1, 2025, requiring private employers to provide 20 hours of paid time off annually for pregnancy-related healthcare, including fertility treatments and end-of-pregnancy care, for all employees (full-time, part-time, exempt/non-exempt). This is a separate benefit from sick leave and covers the employee receiving care, not a support person.
Families with 1 child need to earn at least $70,000 gross per year per person. For a single person, a minimum yearly gross income of $75,000 ($61,272 net) is considered a good salary in New York. This amounts to $6,250 monthly ($5,106 net), which is enough to cover your cost of living in New York of $4,299.
On a banner below is the State motto, Excelsior, which means "Ever Upward." The Secretary of State is the custodian of the Great Seal of the State of New York, which is used to authenticate official records of the State.
New York City is known by many nicknames—such as “the City that Never Sleeps” or “Gotham”—but the most popular one is probably “the Big Apple.” How did this nickname come about?
On April 20, 1955, New York officially designated the rose as the state flower. But why the rose? In addition to its beauty, roses are incredibly hardy and adaptable, making them a fitting symbol for New York.
One of the most fun facts about York is its affinity with chocolate, spanning the last 300 years. The original home to Rowntree's, Terry's, and Cravens, York has delighted its community with a range of widely loved chocolates such as Aero, Kitkat, and Terry's Chocolate Orange.
First, the port of New York came to dominate American shipping and immigration completely. Second, New York exploded as a manufacturing town, as industries such as sugar, publishing, and most importantly the garment trade clustered around the port.
When it comes to quintessential New York breakfasts, the iconic New York bagel is a standout. A staple in the city's food culture, the New York-style bagel is a doughy, boiled-and-baked delight that can be customized with an extensive array of spreads and toppings.
When a New York City employer rounds up or down in 15-minute increments, the employer must cut off rounding down at 7 minutes. For example, if the employee works between 8 to 15 minutes, the employer must round the employee's time up to the next fifteen minutes.
Presenteeism is when an employee comes to work despite suffering from illness or another medical condition. As a result, they can't perform their duties properly. They're at work, but they're less productive and more prone to making mistakes.
Employer responsibilities include: Employers with 100 or more employees must provide up to 56 hours of paid safe and sick leave each calendar year. Employers with 5 to 99 employees must provide up to 40 hours of paid safe and sick leave each calendar year.
The sun and moon are not the same size. While they might look the same size from Earth, the moon is actually 400 times smaller than the sun. It just looks bigger because it's also 400 times closer to us!
The inventor of Pringles is buried in a Pringles can! Fredric Baur - the mastermind behind stacking chips in a can. His burial wishes were for his ashes to be buried in a Pringles can.
