Today in History - 1904

"Now I, as Mayor, in the name of the people, declare the subway open!" says New York Mayor George B. McClellan.

With these words, a morning of oratory was concluded at City Hall in honor of the opening of the first official Manhattan subway system, the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT). At precisely 2:35 PM on this date, the first subway train emerged from City Hall station with Mayor McClellan at the controls.

Twenty-six minutes later, the inaugural express arrived at its destination at 145th Street. The system opened to the general public at 7 PM. Before the evening was out, the Interborough Rapid Transit Company had tunneled some 150,000 passengers around the city.