Rockefeller Center was built in 1930, including 19 commercial buildings on the area of 22 hectare. Located at Manhattan Center, Rockefeller was famous for skating rink, the ceremony to celebrate Christmas, and lots of stores/ restaurants/ and other interesting destinations for tourists. It is also the number 1 destination for tourists at Christmas Eve because the garden displays many huge and the most beautiful pine-trees in America each year.
Here are 10 fun facts about the biggest pine-tree garden that you may not know:
1. The first Christmas tree
The very first pine-tree was placed at Rockefeller Center at Christmas Eve in 1931, and it was mounted vertically by the construction workers with the total height of 6 metres (only a quarter comparing to the Christmas tree displayed this year).
2. The star costs USD1.5 million
In 1931, at the economic recession in the USA, they decorated the Christmas tree by tin cans and scrap papers; then they used wreaths and grasses. In 1934, decorative things and lights are designed in shapes of puppies and ships. The following years, the decorative stars were made in different shapes; but it could be said that the most spectacular and luxurious star of all time is Swarovski star made in 2009 with the height of 3 metres and the price of USD1.5 million - stick with 25.000 crystals and 1 million diamonds.
3. Black pine-tree
One of the special detail of yearly pine-tree is that it always brighten at night. However, in 1944, the Christmas tree here had no lights. It was known that 2 years before, Rockefeller Center announced that there were 3 pine-tree dedicated to the encouragement of US effort in World War II; each tree had a color of red, white, or blue. The trees showing the spirit of patriotism were planted two years after. However, in 1944, in order to suit the switch-off-light era to stop the war, the spruces were also dark and were not light up anymore. Until the war stopped, the organizers had made differences when using 6 ultra-violet rays to make 700 fluorescent lamps for lighting up the pine-tree in the dark.
4. First time on T.V
In 1951, a Christmas here in USA was first time shown on television when the Christmas ceremony was lighted up at The Kate Smith Show. 2 years later, many spruces at Rockefeller became a special show which was then regularly shown at The Howdy Doody Show until 1955. Besides the appearance on television, in 1950, many people saw many painstaking decorative items. Until 1953, 6.000 lights and huge headlights were used to illuminate the tree. 1 year after, the image of angel blowing trumpet was add up to decorate more beautiful.
5. Finding the most beautiful Christmas tree
In a special occasion, many kinds of pine-trees were donated to send to Rockefeller. Typically in1956, there was a man in New Hampshire sent a white spruce to New York governor as a gift. Ten years later, Canada decided to donate one of their most beautiful pine-tree; however, at that time, Rockefeller center besides receiving the gift from Canada also carried out the search for beautiful pine-trees. It was known that the David Murbach - pine-tree garden manager - had rented a car and rode around New England to find the most wonderful pine-tree before his death. Recently, when everything has become more modern and advanced, the management team of Rockefeller has used helicopter flying around New England to define the most beautiful tree from above.
6. Climbing tree trend
Almost all the spruces in Rockefeller center can withstand major events during Christmas Eve. Sometimes, they are used to be the background for some visitors/guests/tourist to take photos. However, in 1979, plants in Rockefeller became one part in the political demonstration when a 27-year-old man climbed up the trees to hide from the US army; then he was arrested as a hostage at America embassy in Iran. He only climbed down when the police showed that climbing up the Christmas tree could not do anything to help the man escape from the surrounding police. In 1980, there was also a man trying to climb up the tree, but when he was asked for the reason of his action, he said there was no purposes but the thought of "climb for fun"
7. Put plant into town
Because normally a pine-tree is very huge and traffic in New York is always bust, the pine-trees in Rockefeller are usually "excursing" in the city at night, when there are a few transportation means on the roads. Each branch at the top of the tree is often decorated before bristling up; and those trees do not need to water.
8. The tallest pine-tree
During Christmas time, Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is usually not less than 19.5 meter high (this year is 22 m). 1999 was the time when this place displayed a highest Christmas tree ever, it was a Norway spruce with more than 30m tall. Because the pine-trees at this center have to be transported through many narrow streets in the city, so they could not import any bigger tree. The spruces from Norway have become the best choices in New York since 1982 until now.
9. Green environment
Perhaps you could never think that pine trees can help society be "green", but the truth is that this problem had occurred in 1960s and 1970s when Rockefeller Center decided to recycle the pine trees after Christmas season. Some people use wood from pine trees to make door for the house, or use them as saving energy source for LED light, etc; and the result is so surprising with approximately 30.000 LED lights, people only waste about 1.200 kilowatt per day.
10. The newest Christmas tree
In 2010, Rockefeller center will display pine tree with height of 22 and weight of 10884 kg. Before being delivered to the center, this pine tree is placed at Mahopac - side yard of firefighter in New York city. Peter Acon said that he was really sorry to see the pine tree that he had been looking after for a long time was going to be carried away and become "common property" for everyone at the next Christmas Eve.
Rockefeller Center is not only attract the tourists at Christmas, but also by the beauty of countless sculptures, wonderful paintings in everywhere, and the garden for the tourist to wandering and sightseeing during summer time.
Also known as "Radio City" so that when coming to the center, tourists can have opportunity to contemplate and visit some big and prestigious media companies of America such as NBC, publisher Simon & Schuster, Associate Press, Radio City Music Hall, British Empire Building, etc.
- Collective source -
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