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The Queensboro Bridge was the first bridge connecting Queens to Manhattan. Without it, Manhattan would have become rapidly overpopulated. Henry Hornbostel and Gustav Lindenthal designed the bridge and ended Queens' isolation, but the way culture has evolved around it is even more interesting.

Jackson Heights is one of the most culturally diverse communities I know. Originally called Trains Meadow, Jackson Heights was formed by the Queensboro Corporation in 1909. An ambitious entrepreneur named Edward A. MacDougall bought the 325-acre piece of land because of the booming railroad business, but he didn't know the land was mostly trains and swamps, as the name implied. So, MacDougall renamed the area Jackson Heights to encourage buyers to buy land and start families