Long Island

HISTORY

Long Island is a large island in New York. It is the longest and largest island in the mainland United States extending 118 miles (190 km) eastward from New York Harbor to Montauk Point,

Horse Racing becomes the first organised sport in North America when Governor Nicolls established the Newmarket Course at Hempstead Plains, Long Island in 1664.

Long Island was captured by the British early in the American Revolutionary War as a result of the Battle of Long Island on August 27, 1776.  It was the beginning of a successful campaign that gave the British control of the strategically important city of New York. Long Island remained a British stronghold until the end of the war in 1783.

Battle of Long Island

William Floyd (December 17, 1734 – August 4, 1821) one of the men of the First Continental Congress and signer of the Constitution of the United States of America, was born in Brookhaven on Long Island. The William Floyd Parkway is named after him.

William Floyd

F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby is set on Long Island. It was inspired by the parties the author had attended while visiting Long Island's north shore.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis – the former First Lady, and fashion icon, was born on the southeastern fork of Long Island in Southampton on July 28, 1929.

In the 1930s Camp Siegfried in Yaphank was a popular spot for Nazis and Hitler supporters. The summer camp was owned and operated by the German American Bund, an American Nazi organization devoted to promoting a favorable view of Nazi Germany.

At the break of World War II, Albert Einstein was living at Old Grove Rd., Nassau Point, Peconic, Long Island as an American citizen under an assumed name to avoid the attentions of journalists.

Oheka Castle, a Gold Coast estate, is the second-largest private residence in the USA. The 1941 movie, Citizen Kane, used photographs of Oheka Castle to depict Xanadu.

By OhekaCastle - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16306565

Some Hells Angels attempted to Kill Mick Jagger in 1975. They tried to drive a boat up to the Long Island Mansion he was staying at, however, the boat sank and the Hells Angels ended up having to swim for their lives.

FUN LONG ISLAND FACTS

Long Island is surrounded on all sides by water, but legally, it's considered a peninsula so New York can exercise jurisdiction over it.

The 2014 census counted 7,804,968 people living on Long Island, making it the most populated island in all of the United States. It makes up approximately 40% of New York State's population.

The Hauppauge Industrial Park is the largest industrial park on the East Coast.

Source Longisland.com