One of the great rivalries in sports… Yankees versus the Red Sox. Most people don’t know just how deep the rivalry goes, so read on if you want some fun trivia to arm yourself with.

*Early New Amsterdam with Wall Street as the northern border. - Illustration: The Costello Plan*

In the 1600s when North America was being explored and colonized, two cities started to develop. Boston was a Puritan British town while New Amsterdam (later NYC) was a Dutch trading outpost fostering religious freedom. They were vastly different from a cultural standpoint and fought over the territories. In 1650 the Treaty of Hartford established a border between the Dutch and English colonies at today’s New York and Connecticut state line.

The two cities continued to compete throughout the 17th and 18th centuries economically as both were major ports. Shipping was the only way to get goods from Europe to America. During the Revolutionary War, Boston was the leading city of British resistance with the Stamp Act, Boston Tea Party, Boston Massacre and the Battle of Bunker Hill.

*The Erie Canal - Illustration: NYPL Digital Collection*

As America expanded westward and agriculture emerged as a leading industry, the challenge was to transport goods from the East Coast to the interior of the country quickly and affordably. Thanks to New York Mayor DeWitt Clinton, the Erie Canal was constructed. Spanning over 363 miles, it was dubbed "The Nation's First Superhighway" and connected the Hudson River to Lake Erie.

If you had to ship goods to the Ohio River Valley and beyond, New York City (now the ‘gateway to the west’) became the faster and more economical route, and Boston felt the effects financially. This was a pivotal point in the battle between New York or Boston on who was the more dominant port city.

By the time of the Civil War, New York had beat out Boston for the largest, richest, most powerful city in America. There was only one way to fight out their hatred and distaste for each other… sports.

*Opening of the baseball season, Highlanders vs. Red Sox at The Polo Grounds - Photo: LOC*

*The Boston Americans 1901 - Photo: WikiCommons*

In 1903, the Boston Americans, who later became the Red Sox, won the first-ever World Series. They enjoyed a strong winning streak over the next 15 years until Babe Ruth was traded to the Yankees in 1919. This trade marked the beginning of the infamous 'Curse of the Bambino,' which persisted until 2004 when the Red Sox finally won their first World Series since the trade.

The Yankees and Red Sox have had many epic moments throughout history that I can't get into here in the interest of time. And to my friends who are die hard Mets fans... I promise I'll do a story on them soon.

I personally love the fact that the Erie Canal, an engineering marvel, was one of the major factors that has contributed to the modern baseball rivalry we have today.

New York versus Boston

Battery Park City

The Empire State Building