Hurricane Sandy brought a destructive storm surge to New York City, causing flooding and significant damage to the city's infrastructure.

The Occupy Wall Street protests began in Zuccotti Park in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, receiving global attention and popularizing the Occupy movement.

Same-sex marriages were authorized to take place in New York after the legalization of same-sex marriage on June 24, 2011.

The September 11 attacks resulted in the collapse of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, causing significant loss of life and economic damage to New York City.

The Stonewall riots, a series of violent protests by members of the gay community against a police raid, took place at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, marking a significant event in the gay liberation movement.

The Conference House on Staten Island hosted a meeting between American delegates, including Benjamin Franklin, and British general Lord Howe in an attempt at a peaceful solution to the war.

The Battle of Long Island, one of the largest battles of the American Revolutionary War, was fought within modern-day Brooklyn.

During the Third Anglo-Dutch War, Anthony Colve of the Dutch navy seized New York at the behest of Cornelis Evertsen the Youngest and rechristened it 'New Orange' after William III, the Prince of Orange.