More than 4,000,000 citizens cheered King George VI and Queen Elizabeth as they drove through the city along the West Side Highway with a wisecracking Mayor LaGuardia, June 10, 1939. They were on their way to the New York World’s Fair. Photo: Associated Press. via

A roving searchlight illuminates the upper reaches of the Empire State Building about a month after its May 1, 1931 opening. Photo: NY Daily News via Getty Images/Fine Art America. via