2. U Thant Island
U Thant Island sits in the East River between Queens and Manhattan. In the 1890s, William Steinway, a businessman and lead developer of Astoria, Queens, set out to build two tunnels between the boroughs of Queens and Manhattan. Steinway died before his work was completed and the project was taken over by August Belmont Jr., who the island was originally (and is still legally) named after. Waste build up from the construction of the tunnel led to the formation of the island and the tunnels were eventually used by the 7 line.
The island was renamed U Thant by a group called the Peace Meditation at the United Nations who leased the island in the 1970s and renamed it for former UN Secretary General U Thant. August Belmont Jr., meanwhile, who financed the first subway line in New York City, had his own private subway car.
