Short answers, pulled from the story.
York was founded in AD 71 by the Roman Ninth Legion under the Latin name Eboracum, later also spelled Eburacum. The name derives from the Brittonic Eburacon, which may mean "place of yew trees" or "property of Eburos." The city served as the capital of the Roman province of Britannia Inferior.
York was captured in 866 by Scandinavian forces led by Ivar the Boneless and Halfdan and renamed Jorvik. The last independent ruler of Jorvik was Eric Bloodaxe, who was driven from the city in AD 954 by King Eadred.
Guy Fawkes was born and educated in York, including at St Peter's School, which was founded in AD 627. He later joined a group of Roman Catholic restorationists who planned the Gunpowder Plot, aiming to blow up the Houses of Parliament.
By 1900, railways and confectionery had become York's two major industries. George Hudson brought the railway to York in 1839, and the North Eastern Railway employed more than 5,500 people. Rowntree's Cocoa Works, founded in 1862, and Terry's of York were both major chocolate employers.
The Luftwaffe bombed York in 1942 as part of the Baedeker Blitz, killing 92 people and injuring hundreds more. Buildings damaged included the Railway Station, Rowntree's Factory, St Martin-le-Grand Church, the Bar Convent, and the Guildhall, which remained in disrepair until 1960.
The York Mystery Plays are a cycle of medieval religious dramas performed by the city's guilds, and they are the most complete such cycle in England. Originally staged from the 14th century until 1570, they were revived in 1951 during the Festival of Britain. Dame Judi Dench appeared in the 1951, 1954, and 1957 productions and remains a Patron of the cycle.