2. NYC Subway Development Map

In the gallery “World City, 1898 to 2012,” you can trace the evolution of the subway system between the launch of the IRT subway line in 1904 and 1941, when the city bought the previously private subway lines (IRT and BMT) and unified them. The displays mention August Belmont, who financed the IRT line and had his own private subway car.

Today, the New York City subway system (with 840 miles of track) is the fourth longest in the world, after Shanghai, Beijing and London. Another fun fact is that the subway fare stayed constant for 40 years, from 1904 to 1948 at just five cents.