The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. Construction started in 1929 and finished in 1931.

The 1933 film King Kong depicted the eponymous gargantuan shimmying to the top of this building in stop-motion awesomeness.

A description from the 1998 documentary The Cruise, as presented by Tim "Speed" Levitch:

"1,476 feet of organized granite and limestone. 6400 windows... 7 miles of elevator shafts. A slice of the state of Indiana vaulted on the corner of 34th st and 5th ave. King Kong climbed it."

That guy has a way with words...

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The 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's had many exteriors and interiors filmed at this location, the flagship store of Tiffany and Co.

Directed by Blake Edwards, the film was an adaptation of the 1958 novella by Truman Capote. The number of cultural references that have stemmed from this film are too numerous to list, but my personal favorite is Deep Blue Something's tune, "Breakfast at Tiffany's". It's a toe-tapper.

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Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark is the most expensive Broadway production ever performed. It features music and lyrics written by Bono and the Edge. Since its creation, it has seen a number of cast injuries from the aerial "web" stunts; at one point, an actor fell 20 ft down into the orchestra pit.

However, Spiderman: The Musical marches on, so get your ticket before it becomes an early 21st century anecdote.

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Running from 1948 to 1971, The Ed Sullivan Show was a variety TV show hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. The host was a bit of a king-maker, and a group or artist could say they "made it" if they played the show.

Bill Haley and His Comets performed their then-current hit "Rock Around the Clock" in early August 1955, marking the first televised performance of a rock and roll song.

On September 9, 1956, Elvis made his first of three appearances on the show. The myth of having to shoot Elvis from the waist up is false. Elvis's full body gyrations can be seen throughout the performance.

The Beatles appeared on three consecutive Sundays in February 1964. The February 9th performance is considered the beginning of the British invasion. By the third performance, 73 million viewers were tuning in (breaking the record at the time).

Today, The Ed Sullivan Theater is the filming location for The Late Show with David Letterman.

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The Beatles stayed here during their first trip to the United States. The throngs of fans forced them to stay in the hotel.

In London, there was one station, and the amount of radio stations in New York fascinated them. They ended up calling the radio stations to request songs.

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