Great cities rarely change their names. It is true, as the old song avers, that old New York was once New Amsterdam, but the change was precipitated by an English takeover of the Dutch colony. To keep the old name would have been like asking a hotel not to change the bedsheets from the room’s previous occupant. Constantinople became Istanbul some time after the Ottomans claimed the city in 1453. Bombay became Mumbai; Saigon turned into Ho Chi Minh City. And yes, Hot Springs, New Mexico, became Truth or Consequences in 1950. But these are rare events. The greater the …read more
Source: Newsweek
