New York City’s nickname “The Big Apple” has several theories behind it, including a 1909 criticism of the city’s disproportionate amount of national money, a sportswriter’s column in the 1920s, and a theory related to jazz music. The city officially adopted the nickname in 1971, and a campaign to promote it included handing out real apples to tourists.
There are several theories about how New York City earned its nickname “The Big Apple,” each with a certain amount of truth to it. It appears that city officials did not officially adopt the moniker until 1971, although many residents and visitors have used the moniker since the 1920s. The 1971 campaign to popularize New York City as the Big Apple included volunteers handing out real apples to passing tourists. Through this promotion, the city hoped to generate a more positive perception of New York City and all it had to offer as one of the world’s great cities.
The first reference to New York City under this name is believed to have appeared in 1909. A man named Martin Wayfarer is said to have criticized the disproportionate amount of national money New York City received each year.
He likened the country’s economy to a tree with many roots, but the “big apple” (New York City) received most of the “sap”. New York residents are very likely to have embraced that critical reference as a source of civic pride. Living in the city meant enjoying the benefits of a robust economy.
There is also a very popular theory involving a New York sportswriter named John J. Fitzgerald, who wrote mostly about horse racing during the 1920s. Horse races held at racetracks around New York City are believed to have been called apples, perhaps in reference to the prizes awarded to the winners. Fitzgerald took a trip to a stud farm in New Orleans in 1920, ostensibly to sell one of his horses. Fitzgerald spoke to several jockeys while there, and they all referred to the New York City horse racing scene as the “Big Apple.” Fitzgerald later called his newspaper column “Notes from Around the Big Apple,” most likely inspired by the words of New Orleans jockeys.
Another popular but largely unsubstantiated theory centers around the world of jazz music. Musicians during the jazz age were said to call paid concerts “apples,” for reasons known only to themselves. By the 1920s, New York City had established itself as a major city for jazz music, so it became the destination for many active jazz musicians. The ultimate gig for a musician was playing the “Big Apple,” which means a nightclub in New York City. New York City also became a destination for other entertainers, which may explain why the nickname has become so popular.
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