Whereas Giovanni da Verrazzano was born in 1485 in Val di Greve, Republic of Florence, which is now a part of the Italian Republic; Whereas King Francis I of France commissioned Verrazzano to lead an expedition aimed at finding a western passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean; Whereas Verrazzano's discovery of New York Bay expanded maritime knowledge of what became the East Coast of the United States and laid the foundation for future commerce and settlements in North America; Whereas Verrazzano's voyage sparked future explorations of the New World, including, 85 years later, Henry Hudson's 1609 voyage to New York Bay to establish New Amsterdam; Whereas New Amsterdam became New York on September 8, 1664; Whereas New York City has the highest economic impact of any city in the United States and continues to serve as a major global economic hub, and New York Bay continues to be a major hub for trade and commerce; Whereas New York Bay, home to the Statue of Liberty, is where 12 million immigrants legally passed through Ellis Island at a rate of 5,000 people per day from 1892 to 1954; Whereas the New York City metropolitan area is home to over 2.5 million Italian Americans; Whereas to commemorate and underscore the significant impact of Giovanni da Verrazzano’s discovery of New York Bay, on March 9, 1960, Governor Nelson Rockefeller signed legislation that named the bridge connecting the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn as the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge; Whereas the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge was inaugurated on November 21, 1964, was the world's longest suspension bridge until 1981, and spans the Narrows; and Whereas the legacy of Giovanni da Verrazzano is further honored at Battery Park, New York City, and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, recognizing Verrazzano’s impact as the first European explorer to chart what became the East Coast of the United States: Now, therefore, be it