New York City could be considered the home of philanthropy. The city has a long history of giving by its many wealthy residents. The majority of the city’s many parks exist due to the efforts of giving women. Betsy Head Park was named after the British immigrant who bequeathed the city a large amount of money when she died in 1907 for building recreational facilities. Half of her estate was dedicated to children’s welfare improvement and the other half to purchasing grounds for healthy recreation.

In 1961 the estate of Loula D. Lasker provided $600,000 to build Lasker Rink in Central Park. While she was alive, Ms. Lasker worked actively in Hadassah and took great interest in alleviating housing problems within the city.

New York City is known for a lot of different things. One of the things that New York City is most famous for is the long list of well respected inventors that have called the city home over the years. Many inventors that have changed the world came out of New York City. Also, many of the most widely used products in the world were invented in New York City by New Yorkers. The following is a short list of some of the more widely acclaimed inventors to come out of New York City.

George Herman Babcock

Mr. Babcock was a mechanical engineer from New York City. He was born in 1832 and he was the 6th president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and had many patents. He patented quite a few different types of pumps and steam engines. Despite his many accomplishments, he’s best known for his invention of a specialized water boiler. The boiler was a unique “tube” design that avoided the explosions that were far too common at the time with most boilers. This design was used for everything from steam heating to steam power. The business he created has sustained throughout the years to become a multifaceted energy concern. The company that Babcock created is now heavily involved in the development of nuclear power and nuclear technologies.

Numerous entrepreneurs either come from or live and work in New York City. These are examples of just three who are famous throughout the world.

Josephine Esther Mentzer—Estée Lauder—was born in Queens, New York in 1946 and learned assertive selling techniques, promotion of quality in products, attention to the appearance of the product, and perfectionism from helping in her father’s hardware store. She acquired her skills in producing lotions and skin creams from an uncle who was a famous European skin specialist. As his apprentice, she helped him develop new products using natural ingredients.

She married Joseph Lauder and they founded Estée Lauder, Inc. in 1946. The initial beauty products they created were skin treatments, rouge, and makeup. Advertising agencies didn’t want the account with its budget of only $50,000. The Lauders decided to provide samples to those attending fashion shows and through mailings. It worked well to establish their company. By 1973 they had sales of $100,000 and employed 1,000+ people. Sales of cosmetics and fragrances by Estée Lauder became international by 1960.