The largest animal that has ever lived. The blue whale is the largest animal ever known to have existed. During the 20th century, the species was an important whaling target and even after it was protected and commercial whaling stopped in 1964, exploitation efforts by the former Soviet Union persisted.
The Erie Canal is the place where the young United States, and its religiosity, ceased looking to the East and the past â Europe and New England â and began looking West and to the future â to a grand unfolding continent.
The Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway, the 570-mile superhighway crossing New York State, is one of the longest toll superhighway systems in the United States. The Thruway's 426-mile mainline connects New York City and Buffalo, the state's two largest cities. The Thruway route from New York to the Pennsylvania line at Ripley is 496 miles long.