New York Subway begins service

Running from City Hall to 145th Street, this 9-mile electrified line used steel-bodied cars and third-rail power. Engineer William Barclay Parsons overcame tunneling challenges beneath Manhattan's dense streets. The opening revolutionized urban transit, carrying millions of passengers and inspiring subway systems worldwide. It marked a shift from elevated railways to underground networks and supported New York's explosive growth as a global metropolis.