A treasury of trivia from the New-York Historical Society: “An extraordinary tapestry depicting New York's story.... An almost addictive read.”—Library Journal
 
For years, the librarians at the New-York Historical Society have kept a record of the questions posed to them by curious locals and visitors to the city. Who was the first woman to run for mayor of New York? Why are beavers featured on the city's official seal? Is it true that a nineteenth-century New Yorker built a house out of spite? Who were the Collyer brothers? In this book, the library staff answers more than a hundred of the most popular and compelling queries. With endlessly entertaining entries featuring hard-to-find data and unforgettable profiles, it’s ideal for those who love trivia, urban history, strange tales, and, of course, New York City. Discover:

How “Peg-Leg” Peter Stuyvesant lost his right leg 

Whether Manhattan used to have cowboys

How the New York Yankees got their name

Who was Pig Foot Mary

Why the Manhattan House of Detention is called the Tombs

Who Topsy was and how she electrified New York City

How many speakeasies were open during Prohibition

What occurred every May in the nineteenth century to cause so much commotion

When penguins were stolen from the Coney Island Aquarium, and much more