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==History== ===Early settlement=== The [[Lenape]] peoples were inhabiting the area when Captain [[Henry Hudson]] was the first European to record the area in 1609. In 1756 Stephen Bourdette acquired 400 acres of land which included modern-day Fort Lee.<ref name="Fort Lee Borough, NJ">{{cite web | title=Historic Fort Lee | website=Fort Lee Borough, NJ | url=https://www.fortleenj.org/283/Historic-Fort-Lee#:~:text=The%20first%20people%20known%20to,Captain%20Henry%20Hudson%20in%201609. | access-date=2023-02-15}}</ref> ===Colonial era=== [[File:FortLeeSkyline2013.JPG|thumb|Established [[high-rise|residential high-rises]] are a prominent feature of the [[borough (New Jersey)|borough]] of Fort Lee, with [[List of tallest buildings in Fort Lee|several over 300 feet tall]].]] Originally known as Fort Constitution,<ref name="Fort Lee Borough, NJ"/> Fort Lee was named for General [[Charles Lee (general)|Charles Lee]]<ref name=WSJ2011>Lefkowitz, Melanie. [https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748704330404576291030180585192 Bergen County's Fort Lee: Town With a View], ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''. April 30, 2011. Accessed July 8, 2014. "The cliff-top 33-acre Fort Lee Historic Park, on a Revolutionary War fort site named for Gen. Charles Lee from whom the borough also takes its name, offers educational programs as well as bridge and river views."</ref> after [[George Washington]] and his troops had camped at [[Fort Lee Historic Park|Mount Constitution]] overlooking [[Burdett's Landing]], in defense of New York City. It was during [[Battle of Fort Washington|Washington's retreat in November 1776]] (beginning along a road which is now Main Street) that [[Thomas Paine]] composed his pamphlet, ''[[The American Crisis]]'', which began with the recognized phrase, "These are the times that try men's souls." These events are recalled at Monument Park and [[Fort Lee Historic Park]]. ===Formation=== Fort Lee was formed by an act of the [[New Jersey Legislature]] on March 29, 1904, from the remaining portions of [[Ridgefield Township, New Jersey|Ridgefield Township]].<ref name=Story>Snyder, John P. [https://www.state.nj.us/dep/njgs/enviroed/oldpubs/bulletin67.pdf ''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968''], Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 78. Accessed February 14, 2012.</ref><ref>"History of Bergen County", Vol. 1, pp. 361–364 shows a creation date of April 18, 1904, for Fort Lee.</ref> With the creation of Fort Lee, Ridgefield Township became defunct and was dissolved as of March 29, 1904.<ref>''Municipal Incorporations'', Extinct List p. 81.</ref> The [[Fort Lee Police Department]] was formed under borough ordinance on August 9, 1904, and originally consisted of six marshals.<ref>[http://fortleepd.org/about-the-flpd/history History], Fort Lee Police Department. Accessed December 7, 2013. "The Fort Lee Police Department was originally formed by ordinance on August 9, 1904. During this time, the council appointed six marshalls."</ref> ===America's first motion picture industry=== [[File:Fort Lee-The First Hollywood.jpg|alt=Fort Lee-The First Hollywood|thumb|Sign reading "Fort Lee-The First Hollywood" outside the [[Barrymore Film Center]]]] The history of [[cinema in the United States]] can trace its roots to the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]], where, at one time, Fort Lee was the [[motion picture]] capital of America. The industry got its start in the state at the end of the 19th century with the construction of [[Thomas Edison]]'s "[[Edison's Black Maria|Black Maria]]", the first [[movie studio|motion picture studio]], in [[West Orange, New Jersey]]. New Jersey offered land at costs considerably less than New York City, and the cities and towns along the [[Hudson River]] and [[The Palisades (Hudson River)|the Palisades]] benefited greatly as a result of the phenomenal growth of the film industry at the turn of the 20th century.<ref>Kannapell, Andrea. [https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/04/nyregion/getting-big-picture-film-industry-started-here-left-now-it-s-back-state-says.html&pagewanted=all "Getting the Big Picture; The Film Industry Started Here and Left. Now It's Back, and the State Says the Sequel Is Huge."], ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 4, 1998. Accessed December 7, 2013.</ref><ref>Amith, Dennis. [http://j-entonline.com/blu-ray-dvd-reviews/dvd-reviews-film-tv/before-hollywood-there-was-fort-lee-n-j-early-movie-making-in-new-jersey-a-j-ent-dvd-review/ "Before Hollywood There Was Fort Lee, N.J.: Early Movie Making in New Jersey (a J!-ENT DVD Review)"], J!-ENTonline.com, January 1, 2011. Accessed December 7, 2013. "When Hollywood, California, was mostly orange groves, Fort Lee, New Jersey, was a center of American film production."</ref><ref>Rose, Lisa.[http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/100_years_ago_fort_lee_was_the.html "100 years ago, Fort Lee was the first town to bask in movie magic"], ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', April 29, 2012. Accessed December 7, 2013. "Back in 1912, when Hollywood had more cattle than cameras, Fort Lee was the center of the cinematic universe. Icons from the silent era like Mary Pickford, Lionel Barrymore, and Lillian Gish crossed the Hudson River via ferry to emote on Fort Lee back lots."</ref> [[:Category:Films shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey|A large number of early films]] were shot in Fort Lee. Filmmaking began attracting both capital and an innovative workforce, and when the [[Kalem Company]] began using Fort Lee in 1907 as a location for filming in the area, other filmmakers quickly followed. In 1909, a forerunner of [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]], the [[Champion Film Company]], built the first studio.<ref>[http://www.fortleefilm.org/history.html Before Hollywood, There Was Fort Lee] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090712034143/http://www.fortleefilm.org/history.html |date=July 12, 2009 }}, Fort Lee Film Commission. Accessed April 16, 2011.</ref> They were quickly followed by others who either built new studios or who leased facilities in Fort Lee. In the 1910s and 1920s, film companies such as the [[Independent Moving Pictures|Independent Moving Pictures Company]], [[Peerless Pictures Studios|Peerless Studios]], [[The Solax Company]], [[Eclair (company)|Éclair Studios]], [[Goldwyn Picture Corporation]], [[Georges Méliès|American Méliès]] (Star Films), [[World Film Company]], [[Biograph Studios]], [[Fox Film Corporation]], [[Pathé Frères]], [[MGM|Metro Pictures Corporation]], [[Victor Studios|Victor Film Company]], and [[Selznick Pictures Corporation]] were all making pictures in Fort Lee. Such notables as [[Mary Pickford]] got their start at Biograph Studios.<ref name="Koszarski 2004">Koszarski, Richard. [https://books.google.com/books?id=5w0r8YKan04C&hl=en "Fort Lee: The Film Town''], [[Indiana University Press]], 2004. {{ISBN|9780861966523}}. Accessed May 27, 2015.</ref><ref>[http://www.fortleefilm.org/studios.html Studios and Films] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020130551/http://fortleefilm.org/studios.html |date=October 20, 2018 }}, Fort Lee Film Commission. Accessed December 7, 2013.</ref><ref name=Birthplace/> With the offshoot businesses that sprang up to service the film studios, for nearly two decades Fort Lee experienced unrivaled prosperity. However, just as the development of Fort Lee production facilities was gaining strength, [[Nestor Studios]] of [[Bayonne, New Jersey]], built the first studio in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] in 1911.<ref>Staff. [https://www.proquest.com/docview/165206569 "Memorial at First Studio Site Will Be Unveiled Today"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', September 29, 1940. Accessed July 8, 2014. "The site of the Nestor Studios today is the Hollywood home of the Columbia Broadcasting System."</ref> Nestor Studios, owned by David and William Horsley, later merged with Universal Studios; and William Horsley's other company, Hollywood Film Laboratory, is now the oldest existing company in Hollywood, now called the Hollywood Digital Laboratory. [[California]]'s more temperate climate enabled year-round filming and led to the eventual shift of virtually all filmmaking to the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] by the 1930s. At the time, [[Thomas Edison]] owned almost all the patents relevant to motion picture production. Movie producers on the East Coast acting independently of Edison's Motion Picture Patents Company were often sued or enjoined by Edison and his agents, while movie makers working on the West Coast could work independently of Edison's control, in part due to the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit|Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals]]–which was headquartered in [[San Francisco]] and covered most of [[Southern California]]–being well known for not enforcing patents claims.<ref>[[Jim Bishop|Bishop, Jim]]. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Sl4gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JmUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3130,3977758&dq=thomas-edison+hollywood+patents&hl=en "How movies got moving..."], ''[[Sun Journal (Lewiston)|The Lewiston Journal]]'', November 27, 1979. Accessed February 14, 2012. "Movies were unheard of in Hollywood, even in 1900. The flickering shadows were devised in a place called Fort Lee, N.J. It had forests, rocks cliffs for the cliff-hangers and the Hudson River. The movie industry had two problems. The weather was unpredictable, and Thomas Edison sued producers who used his invention. [...] It was not until 1911 that David Horsley moved his Nestor Co. west."</ref> In nearby Little Ferry on [[1937 Fox vault fire|July 9, 1937, a major fire]] broke out in a [[20th Century-Fox]] storage facility containing hazardous extremely flammable [[nitrate film]] reels. [[Television and film of New Jersey|Television and film in New Jersey]] remains an important industry. Since 2000, the Fort Lee Film Commission has been charged with celebrating the history of film in Fort Lee, as well as attracting film and television production companies to the borough.<ref>[http://www.fortleefilm.org/ Home page], Fort Lee Film commission. Accessed November 6, 2011.</ref> The [[Barrymore Film Center]] promotes films, filmmaking and its history in the borough.<ref>[https://www.barrymorefilmcenter.com/ Home Page], Barrymore Film Center. Accessed October 2, 2019.</ref> ===Birthplace of subliminal messaging=== In 1957, market researcher [[James Vicary]] claimed that quickly flashing messages on a movie screen, in Fort Lee, had influenced people to purchase more food and drinks. Vicary coined the term ''[[Subliminal message|subliminal advertising]]'' and formed the Subliminal Projection Company based on a six-week test. Vicary claimed that during the presentation of the movie ''[[Picnic (1955 film)|Picnic]]'' he used a [[tachistoscope]] to project the words "Drink [[Coca-Cola]]" and "Hungry? Eat popcorn" for 1/3000 of a second at five-second intervals. Vicary asserted that during the test, sales of popcorn and Coke in that New Jersey theater increased 57.8% and 18.1% respectively.<ref name="straightdope">[http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/177/does-subliminal-advertising-work "Does subliminal advertising work?"], [[The Straight Dope]], April 22, 1977. Accessed December 7, 2013.</ref><ref name="snopes">[http://www.snopes.com/business/hidden/popcorn.asp 'Subliminal Advertising – Claim: An early experiment in subliminal advertising at a movie theater substantially increased sales of popcorn and Coke."], [[Urban Legends Reference Pages]], May 3, 2011. Accessed December 7, 2013. "Vicary's studies were largely forgettable, save for one experiment he conducted at a Ft. Lee, New Jersey movie theater during the summer of 1957.... The result of displaying these imperceptible suggestions – ''Drink Coca-Cola'' and ''Hungry? Eat Popcorn'' – was an amazing 18.1% increase in Coca-Cola sales, and a whopping 57.8% jump in popcorn purchases.... Eventually Vicary confessed that he had falsified the data from his first experiments, and some critics have since expressed doubts that he actually conducted his infamous Ft. Lee experiment at all."</ref> In 1962, Vicary admitted to lying about the experiment and falsifying the results, the story itself being a marketing ploy.<ref>Boese, Alex (2002). [https://books.google.com/books?id=q5PaAAAAMAAJ&q=vicary ''The Museum of Hoaxes: A Collection of Pranks, Stunts, Deceptions, and Other Wonderful Stories Contrived for the Public from the Middle Ages to the New Millennium''], [[E. P. Dutton]], {{ISBN|0-525-94678-0}}. pp. 137–38.</ref><ref>Pratkanis, Anthony R. [http://www.csicop.org/si/show/cargo-cult_science_of_subliminal_persuasion/ The Cargo-Cult Science of Subliminal Persuasion], ''[[The Skeptical Inquirer]]'', Volume 16.3, Spring 1992. Accessed October 13, 2013. "But there is a seamier side to the 'Eat Popcorn/Drink Coke' study-one that is rarely brought to public attention. In a 1962 interview with Advertising Age, James Vicary announced that the original study was a fabrication intended to increase customers for his failing marketing business."</ref> An identical experiment conducted by Henry Link showed no increase in cola or popcorn sales.<ref name="snopes"/> The additional claim that the small cinema handled 45,699 visitors in six weeks has led people to believe that Vicary actually did not conduct his experiment at all.<ref name="snopes"/> === Korean community === A small number of Korean immigrants have resided the area as early as the 1970s. In the 1990s, a continuous stream of [[Korean immigrants]] emerged into Fort Lee. A substantial number of affluent and educated [[Korean American]] [[professional]]s have settled in Bergen County since the early 2000s and have founded various academic and communally supportive organizations, including the Korean Parent Partnership Organization at the [[Bergen County Academies]] [[Magnet school|magnet high school]] and The Korean-American Association of New Jersey. Approximately 130 Korean stores were counted in downtown Fort Lee in 2000,<ref name="AsianAmericansContemporaryTrends">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5PSYZMs8TzEC&q=fort+lee+koreatown+pyong+min&pg=PA237|title=Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues Second Edition, Edited by Pyong Gap Min|publisher=Pine Forge Press - An Imprint of Sage Publications, Inc|year=2006|isbn=9781412905565|accessdate=July 24, 2016}}</ref> a number which has risen significantly since then, featuring restaurants and [[karaoke]] (''[[Karaoke|noraebang]]'') bars, grocery markets, education centers and [[bookstores]], banking institutions, offices, electronics vendors, apparel boutiques, and other commercial enterprises. Various Korean American groups could not reach consensus on the design and wording for a monument in Fort Lee as of early April 2013 to the memory of [[comfort women]], tens of thousands of women and girls, many Korean, who were forced into [[sexual slavery]] by [[Imperial Japanese Army|Japanese soldiers]] during [[World War II]].<ref>Semple, Kirk. [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/nyregion/monument-in-palisades-park-nj-irritates-japanese-officials.html "In New Jersey, Memorial for ‘Comfort Women’ Deepens Old Animosity"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', May 18, 2012.Accessed April 13, 2022.</ref><ref name="BergenCountyComfortWomen1">Sullivan, S. p. [https://www.nj.com/bergen/2013/06/japanese-american_congressman_visits_nj_comfort_women_memorial.html "Sexual slavery issue, discussed internationally, pivots around one little monument in N.J."], NJ Advance Media for [[NJ.com]], June 8, 2013. Accessed April 13, 2022. "The Palisades Park monument is the first in the United States to recognize what is widely believed to be an international atrocity — the systemic sexual slavery of women from Korea, the Philippines, China, Japan and the Netherlands during WWII. Erected in 2010, it's also prompted a visit from members of the Japanese parliament, been defaced by groups upset with its existence, and inspired similar memorials in Hackensack, Fort Lee and elsewhere in the United States."</ref> In May 2012, borough officials in neighboring Palisades Park rejected requests by two [[International diplomacy|diplomatic]] delegations from [[Japan]] to remove such a [[monument]] from a public park, a [[brass]] plaque on a block of stone, dedicated in 2010;<ref>{{cite web|author=Dan Ivers|date=April 6, 2013|title=Critics cause Fort Lee to reconsider monument honoring Korean WWII prostitutes|url=http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2013/04/critics_cause_fort_lee_to_reconsider_monument_honoring_korean_wwii_prostitutes.html#incart_river_default|publisher=New Jersey On-Line LLC|accessdate=April 6, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Linh Tat|date=April 4, 2013|title=Controversy puts planned 'comfort women' memorial in Fort Lee on hold|url=http://www.northjersey.com/fortlee/Controversy_puts_planned_comfort_women_memorial_in_Fort_Lee_on_hold.html?page=all|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|accessdate=April 6, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Kirk Semple|date=May 18, 2012|title=In New Jersey, Memorial for 'Comfort Women' Deepens Old Animosity|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/nyregion/monument-in-palisades-park-nj-irritates-japanese-officials.html?_r=1|accessdate=July 12, 2012}}</ref> days later, a [[South Korea]]n delegation had endorsed Palisades Park's decision.<ref>{{cite web|author=Monsy Alvarado|date=July 12, 2012|title=Palisades Park monument to 'comfort women' stirs support, anger|url=http://www.northjersey.com/community/at_the_library/news/Palisades_Park_monument_to_comfort_women_stirs_support_anger.html|url-status=dead|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|accessdate=July 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120714013436/http://www.northjersey.com/community/at_the_library/news/Palisades_Park_monument_to_comfort_women_stirs_support_anger.html|archive-date=July 14, 2012}}</ref> In October 2012, a similar memorial was announced in nearby [[Hackensack, New Jersey|Hackensack]], to be raised behind the [[Bergen County Court House|Bergen County Courthouse]], alongside memorials to the [[Holocaust]], the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine of Ireland]], and the [[Armenian genocide]],<ref>{{cite web|author=Rebecca D. O'Brien|date=October 14, 2012|title=New Jersey's Korean community awakens politically|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/174039211.html|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|accessdate=April 6, 2013}}</ref> and was unveiled in March 2013.<ref>{{cite web|author=S.P. Sullivan|date=March 8, 2013|title=Bergen County marks International Women's Day with Korean 'comfort women' memorial|url=http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2013/03/bergen_county_marks_international_womens_day_with_korean_comfort_women_memorial.html#incart_river_default|publisher=© 2013 New Jersey On-Line LLC. All rights reserved|accessdate=April 6, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Monsy Alvarado|date=March 8, 2013|title=Memorial dedicated to women forced into sexual slavery during WWII|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/Bergen_County_officials_.html?page=all|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|accessdate=April 6, 2013}}</ref> On May 23, 2018, a comfort women memorial was installed in Constitution Park in Fort Lee.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fort Lee students give voice to 'comfort women' abused during World War II|url=https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/fort-lee/2018/05/23/fort-lee-nj-students-give-voice-comfort-women-abused-during-wwii/634547002/|access-date=March 16, 2019|website=North Jersey|language=en}}</ref> Youth Council of Fort Lee, a student organization led by Korean American high school students in Fort Lee designed the memorial. ===George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal=== {{Main|Fort Lee lane closure scandal}} The [[Fort Lee lane closure scandal]], also known as Bridgegate, was a political scandal concerning the actions taken by the staff of [[Governor of New Jersey|New Jersey Governor]] [[Chris Christie]] and his [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey|Port Authority]] appointees to create a traffic jam in Fort Lee when dedicated toll lanes for one of the Fort Lee entrances to the upper level on the [[George Washington Bridge]] were reduced from three to one from September 9, 2013, to September 13, 2013.<ref>Kleinfeld, N. R. [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/13/nyregion/a-bridge-to-scandal-behind-the-fort-lee-ruse.html "A Bridge to Scandal: Behind the Fort Lee Ruse"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', January 12, 2014. Accessed July 8, 2014.</ref><ref>Durando, Jessica; and Symons, Michael. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/01/09/christie-bridge-scandal-what-happened/4392155/ The backstory of Christie's 'Bridgegate' scandal], ''[[USA Today]]'', January 10, 2014.</ref> Three members of the Christie administration were convicted on federal conspiracy charges for their roles in the lane closures.<ref>[https://www.nj.com/news/2016/11/bridgegate_verdict_bill_baroni_and_bridget_kelly_g.html "Bridgegate verdict: Bill Baroni and Bridget Kelly guilty on all counts"], NJ Advance Media for [[NJ.com]], November 4, 2016, updated January 16, 2019. Accessed October 2, 2019.</ref> One of the reasons suggested for these actions was to punish Fort Lee Mayor [[Mark Sokolich]], a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], for not supporting the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] Chris Christie in the [[New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2013|2013 New Jersey gubernatorial election]]. Another theory was that Christie or his aides sought to punish [[New Jersey Senate]] majority leader, [[Loretta Weinberg]], who represented the [[New Jersey]] district containing Fort Lee, as retribution for the Democrats' blocking of Christie's reappointment of a [[New Jersey Supreme Court]] justice. Christie withdrew his appointee consideration and delivered a speech referring to New Jersey Senate Democrats as "animals" just one day before emails were sent by Christie's aides to the Port Authority requesting the lane closures.<ref>Alman, Ashley. [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/09/rachel-maddow-chris-christie_n_4572367.html "Rachel Maddow Presents New Chris Christie Bridge Scandal Theory"], [[The Huffington Post]], January 9, 2014. Accessed July 8, 2014.</ref>
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