Horse-drawn stagecoaches and street cars served as New York City's first form of public transportation from 1827 until approximately 1870, when electric trolleys began replacing them. The subway first opened in 1904.
By 1915, four of the five New York City boroughs (Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens) all sat along the New York City subway route. Staten Island remains the only borough to not receive subway service.
The subway began using tokens in 1953. The system remained in place for 50 years until 2003, when tokens were replaced with electronic Metro Cards.
In the late 1960s and mid-1970s, the subway introduced reduced fare rates for senior citizens and the disabled.
Major League Baseball's Brooklyn Dodgers got their name from people in the neighborhood who reportedly dodged streetcars to cross the road. In fact, the team was originally called the Trolley Dodgers.
