What do you think?
Rate this book
Trivia Nerds Guide to the History of the United States #2
The Great Book of New York: The Crazy History of New York with Amazing Random Facts & Trivia
Want to learn more about New York? Sure, you’ve heard about the Statue of Liberty, but how much do you really know about the Empire State? Do you know why it’s even called the Empire State? There’s so much about New York that even state natives don’t know. In this trivia book, you’ll learn more about New York’s history, pop culture, folklore, sports, and so much more! In The Great Book of New York, you’ll learn the answers to the following Why is New York City called the Big Apple? What genre of music started out in New York City?Which late actress’s life is celebrated at a festival held in her hometown every year?Which monster might be living in a lake in New York?Was there really a Staten Island bogeyman? Which movie is loosely based on New York in the 1800s? Which cult favorite cake recipe got its start in New York?Why do the New York Yankees have pinstripe uniforms? These are just a few of the many facts you’ll find in this book. Some of them will be fun, some of them will be sad, and some of them will be so chilling they’ll give you goosebumps, but all of them will be fascinating! This book is full of everything you’ve ever wondered about New York. It doesn’t matter if you consider yourself a New York state expert or if you know nothing about the Empire State. You’re bound to learn something new as you journey through each chapter. You’ll be able to impress your friends on your next trivia night! So, what are you waiting for? Dive in now so you can learn all there is to know about New York!
- GenresNonfiction
168 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 26, 2018
90 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 14, 2018
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
This was actually a pretty fun read. It was really interesting to learn new things about New York, from theatre to historical battles to the Statue of Liberty to sports. I really enjoyed it, and I loved the test yourself section at the end of each chapter.
This was actually a pretty fun read. It was really interesting to learn new things about New York, from theatre to historical battles to the Statue of Liberty to sports. I really enjoyed it, and I loved the test yourself section at the end of each chapter.
April 30, 2018
‘How did the state of New York come to be known as the Empire State?
Author Bill O’Neill loves to explore all manner of subjects from reiku to trivia. His previous Book 1 of War Books covered World War II, and that was followed by his controversial Trivia Book on the Vietnam War. Bill O’Neill has authored many books on trivia and random facts and stands as somewhat of an expert in this field! His topics include movies, football, baseball, rock music, simply random trivia facts, and now - the great book of New York (and the fun behind the facts).
Bill's sense of humor is evident in his Introduction – ‘How much do you know about the state of New York? Sure, you know New York City is a tourist hotspot. You know it’s home to the New York Yankees, the New York Giants, and Broadway. But what else do you really know about the city?
You know the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France, but do you know which popular New York City attraction sees more annual visitors than the Statue of Liberty? Have you ever wondered how New York came to be known as the Empire State? Do you know why people call New York City the “ ‘Big Apple’? Have you ever wondered if it actually has anything to do with apples? Do you know which war New York State played a key role in or which President was sworn into office in New York? If you have ever wondered the answers to any of these questions, then you’ve come to the right place. This book is filled with stories and facts about the state of New York. This isn’t just any book about New York. It will highlight some of the key facts that have helped shape New York into the state it is today. You’ll learn facts about the state that you’ve probably never even wondered about. Once you’ve finished reading, you’ll know all there is to know about New York. New York is a state that’s rich in both history and culture. We’ll go back in time before New York City was what it is today. We’ll jump around and look at some of the coolest (and most shocking) elements of the state’s history and explore some of the more recent happenings of the state. Although, we’ll mostly stick to a timeline of historical events, we’ll also jump around some as we talk about some of New York’s past and some of the most famous people who live in the state. This book is broken up into easy to follow chapters that will help you learn more about the Empire State. Once you’ve finished each chapter, you can test your knowledge with trivia questions. Some of the facts you’ll read about are sad. Some of them will give you goosebumps. Some of them are shocking. But the one thing they all have in common is that all of them are fascinating! Once you’ve finished reading this book, you’re guaranteed to walk away with a wealth of facts you didn’t know before. This book will answer the following questions: Why is New York City called ‘The Big Apple’? How did the state of New York come to be known as the Empire State? Which iconic late comedian is honored by a festival that’s held in her hometown every year in New York? Which BBQ restaurant in the Big Apple is owned by a former ‘90s boy band member? What famous lake monster is believed to live in one of New York’s lakes? Which famous athletes were born in New York?
The book is divided into fascinating sections – New York History and Random Facts, New York’s Pop Culture, New York City’s attractions, New York inventions Ideas and More, Texas Sports – Football, Baseball and More, New York’s Unsolved Mysteries, supernatural and other Weird Facts.
Not only is the book entertaining – it is also very instructive for every reader. Have fun, learn, and be ready for the next gathering of very smart friends! You’ll be on top.
Author Bill O’Neill loves to explore all manner of subjects from reiku to trivia. His previous Book 1 of War Books covered World War II, and that was followed by his controversial Trivia Book on the Vietnam War. Bill O’Neill has authored many books on trivia and random facts and stands as somewhat of an expert in this field! His topics include movies, football, baseball, rock music, simply random trivia facts, and now - the great book of New York (and the fun behind the facts).
Bill's sense of humor is evident in his Introduction – ‘How much do you know about the state of New York? Sure, you know New York City is a tourist hotspot. You know it’s home to the New York Yankees, the New York Giants, and Broadway. But what else do you really know about the city?
You know the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France, but do you know which popular New York City attraction sees more annual visitors than the Statue of Liberty? Have you ever wondered how New York came to be known as the Empire State? Do you know why people call New York City the “ ‘Big Apple’? Have you ever wondered if it actually has anything to do with apples? Do you know which war New York State played a key role in or which President was sworn into office in New York? If you have ever wondered the answers to any of these questions, then you’ve come to the right place. This book is filled with stories and facts about the state of New York. This isn’t just any book about New York. It will highlight some of the key facts that have helped shape New York into the state it is today. You’ll learn facts about the state that you’ve probably never even wondered about. Once you’ve finished reading, you’ll know all there is to know about New York. New York is a state that’s rich in both history and culture. We’ll go back in time before New York City was what it is today. We’ll jump around and look at some of the coolest (and most shocking) elements of the state’s history and explore some of the more recent happenings of the state. Although, we’ll mostly stick to a timeline of historical events, we’ll also jump around some as we talk about some of New York’s past and some of the most famous people who live in the state. This book is broken up into easy to follow chapters that will help you learn more about the Empire State. Once you’ve finished each chapter, you can test your knowledge with trivia questions. Some of the facts you’ll read about are sad. Some of them will give you goosebumps. Some of them are shocking. But the one thing they all have in common is that all of them are fascinating! Once you’ve finished reading this book, you’re guaranteed to walk away with a wealth of facts you didn’t know before. This book will answer the following questions: Why is New York City called ‘The Big Apple’? How did the state of New York come to be known as the Empire State? Which iconic late comedian is honored by a festival that’s held in her hometown every year in New York? Which BBQ restaurant in the Big Apple is owned by a former ‘90s boy band member? What famous lake monster is believed to live in one of New York’s lakes? Which famous athletes were born in New York?
The book is divided into fascinating sections – New York History and Random Facts, New York’s Pop Culture, New York City’s attractions, New York inventions Ideas and More, Texas Sports – Football, Baseball and More, New York’s Unsolved Mysteries, supernatural and other Weird Facts.
Not only is the book entertaining – it is also very instructive for every reader. Have fun, learn, and be ready for the next gathering of very smart friends! You’ll be on top.
May 1, 2018
Even tough, having been born and raised in New York City and still living in the New York City metropolitan area for the past 67 years I found this endeavor by the author, Bill O’Neill is to an enlightening and educational reading experience not only about New York City, but the entire state of New York.
Remember, it’s impossible for a trivia book to mention every tidbit of such information; and while some trivia books might simply state items of trivia for a particular topic one after the other, Mr. Bill O’Neill attempts to render his readers something more meaningful about some of the items he’s decided to include in this endeavor for each of the six chapters in the book. The author moves on to provide some additional random facts regarding the chapter’s topics, culminating with the testing of his readers on what they’ve just read in each chapter.
For wanting to educate everyone [including native New Yorkers] with interesting tidbits about the Great City/State of New York, tidbits regarding items millions of people have either used regardless of where they live in the US or have heard about round the world; I’m giving this book and its author 5 STARS.
Remember, it’s impossible for a trivia book to mention every tidbit of such information; and while some trivia books might simply state items of trivia for a particular topic one after the other, Mr. Bill O’Neill attempts to render his readers something more meaningful about some of the items he’s decided to include in this endeavor for each of the six chapters in the book. The author moves on to provide some additional random facts regarding the chapter’s topics, culminating with the testing of his readers on what they’ve just read in each chapter.
For wanting to educate everyone [including native New Yorkers] with interesting tidbits about the Great City/State of New York, tidbits regarding items millions of people have either used regardless of where they live in the US or have heard about round the world; I’m giving this book and its author 5 STARS.
August 20, 2018
First off, I'm an original east-coaster (now in Pacific NW) from Philly and have literally only set foot in New York once in my life LOL. This was great!! I loved all the info about a state I embarrassingly knew little about. Great trivia! A broad/wide variety of topics, all kinds of fascinating stuff! Love these books! Definitely recommend this book and all books by Bill O'Neill! :)
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
July 30, 2018
The Great Book of New York: The Crazy History of New York with Amazing Random Facts & Trivia (A Trivia Nerds Guide to the History of the United States 2) by Bill O'Neill was a good read. As a native New Yorker, I loved reading this book of interesting facts about the state that I live in.This was a great read.
August 5, 2018
New York Trivia
I liked reading about New York and even learned a few things about the state. My least favorite part was when the narrative bogged down into haunts and suppositions. With such an historic state, there are many areas of trivia that would be much more interesting to me - especially fact-based trivia.
I liked reading about New York and even learned a few things about the state. My least favorite part was when the narrative bogged down into haunts and suppositions. With such an historic state, there are many areas of trivia that would be much more interesting to me - especially fact-based trivia.
November 8, 2022
Not quite a book, but a random collection of fun facts, tips and trivia about New York, its monuments and famous people... at the end of each chapter there is a quiz to test your knowledge!
Nothing special really, but if you like New York or are planning a trip there, you'll probably appreciate reading this.
Nothing special really, but if you like New York or are planning a trip there, you'll probably appreciate reading this.
August 5, 2020
I love this series of books!
A great book full of information that I didn't know before. I have a lot of memories of N.Y. and NYC, but this book reveals the hidden gems and mysteries that most people don't know about.
A great book full of information that I didn't know before. I have a lot of memories of N.Y. and NYC, but this book reveals the hidden gems and mysteries that most people don't know about.
September 5, 2018
This is the fourth book I’ve read/listened to by this author and I would love to continue to listen to each book he writes. The information he covers is broad and interesting. I never knew so many things were invented or done for the first time in New York.
This is the third book I’ve listened to by this narrator (Derek Newman) and I would listen to another. He does a great job reading these books.
There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence or swearing.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.
Story 5/5
Narration 5/5
This is the third book I’ve listened to by this narrator (Derek Newman) and I would listen to another. He does a great job reading these books.
There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence or swearing.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.
Story 5/5
Narration 5/5
August 3, 2018
Curious and trivial little book nothing special
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews