Short answers, pulled from the story.
Moscow was first mentioned in written records in the year 1147 during a meeting between Yuri Dolgorukiy and Sviatoslav Olgovich. This event marked the first written mention of the settlement in the chronicles of the Rostov-Suzdal principality.
Daniel, the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky, was the first prince of Moscow and received the city as a hereditary land in 1263. His descendants struggled for centuries to elevate Moscow from a peripheral principality to the dominant power in the region.
Ivan the Terrible was crowned as the first tsar of all Russia in the year 1547. This coronation took place in the newly constructed Dormition Cathedral within the Kremlin and transformed Moscow from a powerful principality into the capital of a unified state.
Peter the Great moved the capital of Russia from Moscow to Saint Petersburg in 1712 to modernize Russia and bring it closer to Western Europe. This decision led to a decline in Moscow's importance throughout the imperial period as it lost its status as the political center of the empire.
Vladimir Lenin moved the capital of the new Soviet state back to Moscow in 1918. The decision was driven by fear of invasion and the need to be closer to the heart of the country, making the Kremlin once again the seat of power.
Moscow is home to 96 parks and 18 gardens, including four botanical gardens. The city has an average of 20 square meters of parks per person, which is significantly higher than the averages for Paris, London, and New York.