Big Apple
Although the history of "Big Apple " was once thought a mystery, a clearer picture of the term's history has emerged due to the work of amateur etymologist Barry Popik, and Gerald Cohen of Missouri University of Science and Technology. A number of false theories had previously existed, including a claim that the term derived from a woman named Eve who ran a brothel in the city. This was subsequently exposed as a hoax.
Big Apple
In the early 1970s, however, the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau (now NYC & Company, New York City's official marketing and tourism organization) began to promote the city's "Big Apple" nickname under the leadership of its president, Charles Gillett. It has remained popular since then.