In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “neighborhood in the borough of brooklyn in new york city”. Today it says “neighborhood in the central portion of the new york city borough of brooklyn”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-02. In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “neighborhood in the borough of brooklyn in new york city”. Today it says “neighborhood in the central portion of the new york city borough of brooklyn”.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2005 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2005
Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City , located to the east of Prospect Heights, Brooklyn . One of the best preserved neighborhoods of New York City, it is home to hundreds of stately neoclassical townhomes. Eastern Parkway, the main street of Crown Heights, is a copy of the Champs-Élysées in Paris . Crown Heights is the worldwide headquarters of the Chabad sect of Hasidic Jews . A large African-American (mostly West Indian ) population coexists with Hasidic Jews in Crown Heights, not always easily. On August 19 , 1991 , a car in the entourage of the Rebbe of Chabad ( Menachem Mendel Schneerson ) ran a red light and ran over a seven-year-old African-American child, Gavin Cato. A private Hasidic ambulance came to the scene and removed the Hasidic driver, who had been assaulted by angry bystanders, on the orders of a police officer; a city ambulance arrived minutes later to treat Cato, who died of his injuries a few hours later. African-American residents of the neighborhood then rioted for four consecutive days, presumably because of unequal treatment of the victims, and attacked a total of 188 Hasidim , including killing a visiting rabbinical student from Australia by the name of Yankel Rosenbaum, 29 years old, who had come to continue study on the Holocaust . The person charged with killing Rosenbaum, an African-American named Lemrick Nelson, was acquitted. Claims that he admitted to having stabbed Rosenbaum were dismissed by the jury. In addition, during the same rioting, a 67-year-old non-Jewish motorist who had apparently gotten lost in the neighborhood, Anthony Graziosi, was dragged out of his car and brutally beaten and stabbed to death, presumably because his full beard and dark clothing had caused his killers to mistake him for a Hasidic Jew. No suspects have ever been apprehended in his murder. The turmoil proved to be a key issue in the next New York City mayoral election, contested in 1993 as a rematch between incumbent David Dinkins and Rudolph Giuliani , whom Dinkins had narrowly defeated four years earlier. On June 16 , 1993 , a huge rally was held outside City Hall in downtown Manhattan , the primary focus of which was out-of-control criminal violence in general (which the Dinkins administration was viewed by the rally's attendees as being indifferent towards) and continued bitterness over the events in Crown Heights from two years earlier in particular; and several speakers at the rally, including mayoral candidate Giuliani and a Brooklyn-based African-American community activist, Roy Innis , even went so far as to label the Crown Heights episode a pogrom . Giuliani won the election, and subsequent polls showed that a significant shift in the Jewish vote from 1989 was a major contributing factor in his victory. Accomplished performance artist and actress Anna Deavere Smith wrote a one-woman play "Fires in the Mirror" about the racial tensions in Crown Heights after the riots. In an interwoven series of brief monologues, Ms. Smith presents 29 characters based on verbatim excerpts from interviews conducted with her subjects. The play seeks to facilitate intercultural exchange and public discussion about sexual and racial politics, ethnic identity, and multiculturalism. The piece premiered at the Joseph Papp Public Theater in New York City and was later adapted for film by American Playhouse for public television in order to meet international demand for the piece.1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16204604.
The opening as it stood in 2010 20 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Crown Heights in Community Board 8 , Brooklyn , New York City Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn .The main thoroughfare through this neighborhood is Eastern Parkway , a tree-lined boulevard designed by Frederick Law Olmsted extending two miles (3 km) east-west.Typical Crown Heights row houses Originally, the area was known as Crow Hill.It was a succession of hills running east and west from Utica Avenue to Classon Avenue, and south to Empire Boulevard and New York Avenue.The name was changed when Crown Street was cut through in 1916.Crown Heights today is bounded by Washington Avenue and Atlantic Ave (to the west), Park Place and Ralph Ave (to the north), Ralph Avenue and East New York Ave (to the east) and Empire Blvd (to the south).It is about two miles (3 km) long and two miles (3 km) deep.These neighborhoods border Crown Heights: Prospect Heights (to the west); Flatbush (to the south); Brownsville (to the southeast); and Bedford-Stuyvesant (to the north).This neighborhood extends through much of Brooklyn Community Board 8 and 9 .It is under the jurisdiction of two precincts of the New York City Police Department .The 77th precinct is part of Brooklyn North, which covers Crown Heights, Prospect Heights and Weeksville .The 71st precinct is part of Brooklyn South and covers the southern end of Crown Heights." The Eastern District of Brooklyn " by Eugene Armbruster 1912 updated 1941 " Crown Heights " from the 1939 "WPA Guide to New York City" "Community Board 8" (Official Website) ." Brooklyn, New York Police Precincts & Patrol Districts " (includes precinct maps)
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 371006791.
The opening as it stood in 2015 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The main thoroughfare through this neighborhood is Eastern Parkway , a tree-lined boulevard designed by Frederick Law Olmsted extending 2 miles (3.2 kilometres) east–west. Originally, the area was known as Crow Hill. It was a succession of hills running east and west from Utica Avenue to Washington Avenue, and south to Empire Boulevard and East New York Avenue . The name was changed when Crown Street was cut through in 1916. Crown Heights is bounded by Washington Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Ralph Avenue to the east, and Empire Boulevard/East New York Avenue to the south.It is about 1 mile (1.6 km) wide and 2 miles (3.2 km) long.Neighborhoods bordering Crown Heights include Prospect Heights to the west, Flatbush to the south, Brownsville to the east, and Bedford-Stuyvesant to the north. The neighborhood extends through much of Brooklyn Community Board 8 and 9 . It is under the jurisdiction of two precincts of the New York City Police Department . The 77th Precinct is part of Brooklyn North, which covers Crown Heights, Prospect Heights and Weeksville . The 71st Precinct is part of Brooklyn South and covers the southern end of Crown Heights. Crown Heights has extreme contrasts between ornate architecture in certain sectors and vacant, run-down buildings in other sectors.It contains a variety of people ranging from bearded, dark-suit wearing Hasidim , to vividly and brightly dressed Afro-Caribbean residents. The Eastern District of Brooklyn " by Eugene Armbruster 1912 updated 1941. " Crown Heights " from the 1939 "WPA Guide to New York City" "Community Board 8" (Official Website) . " Brooklyn, New York Police Precincts & Patrol Districts " (includes precinct maps)
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 669265704.
The opening as it stood in 2020 8 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn . Crown Heights is bounded by Washington Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Ralph Avenue to the east, and Empire Boulevard/East New York Avenue to the south. It is about 1 mile (1.6 km) wide and 2 miles (3.2 km) long. Neighborhoods bordering Crown Heights include Prospect Heights to the west, Flatbush and Prospect Lefferts Gardens to the south, Brownsville to the east, and Bedford-Stuyvesant to the north. The main thoroughfare through this neighborhood is Eastern Parkway , a tree-lined boulevard designed by Frederick Law Olmsted extending 2 miles (3.2 kilometres) east–west. Originally, the area was known as Crow Hill. It was a succession of hills running east and west from Utica Avenue to Washington Avenue, and south to Empire Boulevard and East New York Avenue . The name was changed when Crown Street was cut through in 1916. The northern half of Crown Heights is part of Brooklyn Community District 8 and is patrolled by the 77th Precinct of the New York City Police Department (NYPD).The southern half is part of Brooklyn Community District 9 and is patrolled by the 71st Precinct of the NYPD.Politically, it is represented by the New York City Council 's 35th, 36th, and 41st Districts. The Eastern District of Brooklyn " by Eugene Armbruster 1912 updated 1941.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 957008045.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn . Crown Heights is bounded by Washington Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Ralph Avenue to the east, and Empire Boulevard/East New York Avenue to the south. It is about one mile (1.6 km) wide and two miles (3.2 km) long. Neighborhoods bordering Crown Heights include Prospect Heights to the west, Flatbush and Prospect Lefferts Gardens to the south, Brownsville to the east, and Bedford–Stuyvesant to the north. The main thoroughfare through this neighborhood is Eastern Parkway , a tree-lined boulevard designed by Frederick Law Olmsted extending two miles (3.2 km) east–west. Originally, the area was known as Crow Hill . It was a succession of hills running east and west from Utica Avenue to Washington Avenue, and south to Empire Boulevard and East New York Avenue . The name was changed when Crown Street was cut through in 1916. The northern half of Crown Heights is part of Brooklyn Community District 8 and is patrolled by the 77th Precinct of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). The southern half is part of Brooklyn Community District 9 and is patrolled by the 71st Precinct of the NYPD. Politically, it is represented by the New York City Council 's 35th, 36th, and 41st Districts. The Eastern District of Brooklyn " by Eugene Armbruster, 1912, updated 1941.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1172879234.
The opening as it stood in 2025 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Neighborhood in New York City Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn . Crown Heights is bounded by Washington Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Ralph Avenue to the east, and Empire Boulevard to the south. It is about one mile (1.6 km) wide and two miles (3.2 km) long. Neighborhoods bordering Crown Heights include Prospect Heights to the west, Flatbush , Prospect Lefferts Gardens and East Flatbush to the south, Brownsville to the east, and Bedford–Stuyvesant to the north.The main thoroughfare through this neighborhood is Eastern Parkway , a tree-lined boulevard designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the late-1800s, extending two miles (3.2 km) east–west.Earlier, the area was sometimes known as Crow Hill , with a succession of ridges running east and west from Utica Avenue to Washington Avenue, and south to Empire Boulevard and East New York Avenue .When Crown Street was cut through in 1916, the area became known as the heights. The northern half of Crown Heights is part of Brooklyn Community District 8 and is patrolled by the 77th Precinct of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). The southern half is part of Brooklyn Community District 9 and is patrolled by the 71st Precinct of the NYPD. Politically, it is represented by the New York City Council 's 35th, 36th, and 41st Districts.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1296024926. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “neighborhood in the borough of brooklyn in new york city”. Today it says “neighborhood in the central portion of the new york city borough of brooklyn”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined between 2005 and 2025.
Then
neighborhood in the borough of brooklyn in new york city
Now
neighborhood in the central portion of the new york city borough of brooklyn
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
