第1个回答 2015-05-28
The state of New York is America’s top apple grower after the state of Washington. But actual apples have nothing to do with NYC’s nickname “The Big Apple.” That has to do with horse racing. The phrase was popularized by John J. Fitz Gerald, who began using it in his horse racing column in 1921. At the time, New York City had the biggest cash purses for horse racing in the country. Allegedly, Fitz Gerald first heard the term from stable hands in New Orleans when he traveled there to sell a horse. Fitz Gerald realized he was on to something, and starting February 18, 1924, he began every column with: The Big Apple. The dream of every lad that ever threw a leg over a thoroughbred and the goal of all horsemen. There’s only one Big Apple. That’s New York. The phrase caught on, and before long a song/dance called “The Big Apple” was making a splash in Harlem night clubs. Jazz musicians began using the term to reference their hometown in lyrics. But the nickname had nearly died off by the 1960s, when the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau decided to revive it with a tourist campaign. They hoped the shiny red icon would change the notion that New York City was a dirty, dangerous place to visit. The city officially adopted the nickname in the 1970's--apparently unconcerned about its roots in gambling, lack of relevance, and limited marketability.