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Test your knowledge of history
In 1790, what were the three most populous cities in North America (defined to include what is north of Guatemala)? Try to guess. The answer is under the fold (no peeking!)...
Mexico City, Puebla, and Havana. #2 is the hardest of the three to get. My source is James Belich's superb Replenishing the Earth: The Settler Revolution and the Rise of the Anglo-World, 1783-1939.Posted by Tyler Cowen on October 9, 2009 at 09:43 AM in History | Permalink
Comments
Mexico City, New Orleans, and Havana?
Posted by: Anonymous Coward at Oct 9, 2009 9:52:30 AM
Bah!
Posted by: Anonymous Coward at Oct 9, 2009 9:52:49 AM
Bah! I got number 2 wrong, I said New Orleans.
Posted by: Anonymous Coward at Oct 9, 2009 9:53:20 AM
Tyler: Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize
Posted by: Dave Prychitko at Oct 9, 2009 9:56:37 AM
I lurve that Norse sense of humour.
Posted by: dearieme at Oct 9, 2009 10:13:11 AM
Why do people say they are "humbled" when everybody knows they are swelling with pride?
Posted by: Matt at Oct 9, 2009 10:28:26 AM
One cannot say, "I am humble," because that's practically the definition of not being humbled. Somehow, though, it is appropriate to say, "I am humbled," implying one is humble, but without actually saying it one can get away with the projection less the negative connotation.
Posted by: Mary at Oct 9, 2009 10:31:44 AM
Well, I got Mexico City, at least.
You should have defined "North America" a bit better, though - I don't consider the Caribbean islands part of the continent. If we were to take you literally, of course, Rome and London would have been candidates, too.
Posted by: Jens Fiederer at Oct 9, 2009 10:43:14 AM
Regarding Mexico City, this should be obvious to everybody.
Not only is it currently the largest metro area in the
Western Hemisphere (and second only to Tokyo in the world),
but when the Spanish conquered what was then called
Tenochtitlan, it was even three times the size of the largest
city in Europe, which was Paris.
Posted by: Barkley Rosser at Oct 9, 2009 10:58:01 AM
It looks like numbers 4 & 5 were also in Mexico (Guanajuato) & the Caribbean (Antigua). According to here (pdf, p. 14), the 10 largest cities in the Americas at the end of the 18th century were "Mexico City (131,000), Salvador da Bahia (60,000), Puebla (57,000), Lima (53,000), Havana (51,000), Rio de Janeiro (50,000), Guanajuato (45,000), Antigua (43,000), La Paz (40,000), and Potosí (37,000)."
Posted by: Dan at Oct 9, 2009 11:05:35 AM
A very good site that allows some global comparison is http://www.192021.org/
It gives a clear graphical representation of city growth trends.
Posted by: The Other Eric at Oct 9, 2009 11:07:13 AM
Here's a good link for the population of US cities in 1790:
http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027/tab02.txt
Posted by: Keith at Oct 9, 2009 11:29:39 AM
Mary:
I don't think the phrase "I am humbled" means "I am not arrogant" (the primary definition). I believe "I am humbled" means to employ the alternative definition of the word: "small and insignificant." That is, "I am humbled" in response to a prize or honor means "I don't think I deserve this--I am insignificant compared to others who have come before me."
Posted by: libert at Oct 9, 2009 11:51:51 AM
Now I'm trying to imagine Mexico City with 131,000 people in it. It would still mostly be a lake.
Plenty of the downtown center is still made up of 1790 buildings. It must have been a lot denser back then.
Posted by: Brian at Oct 9, 2009 12:03:04 PM
i'd imagine that mexico city in 1790 might have had 131,000 permanent residents, but would have been a center for regional trade and therefore would have had far more people than that coming and going.
Posted by: babar at Oct 9, 2009 1:18:59 PM
Hey, at least I got Mexico City and Havana.
Posted by: Robert Olson at Oct 9, 2009 1:42:23 PM
puebla should be obvious to anyone who has ever drank a beer on cinco de mayo, celebrating the battle of puebla. skirmishes over trivial cities rarely make their way into popular drinking culture.
Posted by: farmer at Oct 9, 2009 3:00:54 PM
A wonderful complement to "The Settler Revolution" would be the award winning "Imagining Head-Smashed-In: Aboriginal Buffalo Hunting on the Northern Plains" by Jack W. Brink. Good review by Robert Fulford at http://www.nationalpost.com/m/story.html?id=1445043
This elaborate, very sophisticated hunting method was used on the North American plains for over 500 generations! Notable quote: "the most productive food-getting enterprise ever devised by human beings."
Posted by: David at Oct 9, 2009 3:25:11 PM
Thanks Keith. Imagine how different representative government would have been back in 1790. If you lived in the same city, the chances that you actually knew your representative personally must have been much larger.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Rank | Place | Population
--------------------------------------------------------------
1 New York city, NY *..................... 33,131
2 Philadelphia city, PA *................. 28,522
3 Boston town, MA *....................... 18,320
4 Charleston city, SC..................... 16,359
5 Baltimore town, MD...................... 13,503
6 Northern Liberties township, PA *....... 9,913
7 Salem town, MA.......................... 7,921
8 Newport town, RI........................ 6,716
9 Providence town, RI *................... 6,380
10t Marblehead town, MA..................... 5,661
10t Southwark district, PA *................ 5,661
12 Gloucester town, MA..................... 5,317
13 Newburyport town, MA.................... 4,837
14 Portsmouth town, NH..................... 4,720
15 Sherburne town (Nantucket), MA *........ 4,620
16 Middleborough town, MA.................. 4,526
17 New Haven city, CT *.................... 4,487
18 Richmond city, VA....................... 3,761
19 Albany city, NY......................... 3,498
20 Norfolk borough, VA..................... 2,959
21 Petersburg town, VA..................... 2,828
22 Alexandria town, VA *................... 2,748
23 Hartford city, CT *..................... 2,683
24 Hudson city, NY......................... 2,584
--------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by: izzy at Oct 9, 2009 4:46:16 PM
I agree - Havana seems odd to include - but I wouldn't have done any better without it - never heard of Guanajuato...
Posted by: Sebastian at Oct 9, 2009 4:51:51 PM
That's not a test of knowledge of history. It's a Trivial Pursuit question.
Posted by: dan cole at Oct 9, 2009 6:58:14 PM
Southwark and Northern Liberties were essentially part of Philadelphia, which makes its population about 43,000, about equal to Antigua, and ahead of La Paz and Potosi.
Posted by: Anthony at Oct 9, 2009 7:34:38 PM
Well, I got Mexico City. Havana crossed my mind as did New Orleans, but I went with New York and Philadelphia even though I suspected they were wrong.
Posted by: Yancey Ward at Oct 9, 2009 10:36:37 PM
Mexico City was a no-brainer, but I'm surprised at Havana and Puebla. I would have thought Philadelphia would have made it up there, but I guess not.
Posted by: Brett at Oct 10, 2009 1:54:37 AM
