http://www.massmoments.org/ A daily almanac of Massachusetts history 1440 Copyright 2006 Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities TheOtherRoom.com CFML RSS Generator Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 EST en-us Visitors of Mass Moments--a daily almanac of Massachusetts history--can learn more about the Moments presented on the radio, see images and illustrations, read a primary source document, and get suggestions of links to follow and places to visit. Additionally, they can view a timeline to see when a given Moment occurred, and where applicable, a map to see where it happened. Visitors are invited to comment or ask questions about a Moment on our message board, thus providing an on-line community where Bay State history enthusiasts can meet and discuss our past. They can sign up to receive Mass Moments daily in their email, and if they post a question to the message board, they can be notified when someone has responded. Past Moments (those posted since January 1, 2005) are searchable, by key words, subject, time period, and region. A daily almanac of Massachusetts history. Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities Massachusetts almanac, radio program, eMoment, eMoments, Massachusetts history, Bay State, Western Mass, MA, Eastern Mass, Boston, Mass Moments, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, daily history, this day in history, today's history, today in history http://www.massmoments.org/rss/images/mass_moments_75.jpg http://www.massmoments.org/ info@massmoments.org Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=145 On this day in 1874, on the Mill River in western Massachusetts, an earthenwork dam gave way. A wall of water between 20- and 40-feet high and 300-feet wide rushed downstream. The flood destroyed almost everything in its path. Factories were crushed and houses swept off their foundations; cows, horses, and people were sucked into the roiling water. Within an hour, the flood leveled four villages. Finally, it reached a broad plain just north of Northampton. There, the river spread out over acres of freshly ploughed fields, depositing its awful contents -- machinery, furniture, bridges, rocks, trees, livestock, and bodies -- in a layer ten-feet deep. It took days to recover the bodies of the 139 people who lost their lives to the Mill River flood. Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=145 On this day in 1874, on the Mill River in western Massachusetts, an earthenwork dam gave way. A wall of water between 20- and 40-feet high and 300-feet wide rushed downstream. The flood destroyed almost everything in its path. Factories were crushed and houses swept off their foundations; cows, horses, and people were sucked into the roiling water. Within an hour, the flood leveled four villages. Finally, it reached a broad plain just north of Northampton. There, the river spread out over acres of freshly ploughed fields, depositing its awful contents -- machinery, furniture, bridges, rocks, trees, livestock, and bodies -- in a layer ten-feet deep. It took days to recover the bodies of the 139 people who lost their lives to the Mill River flood. no 0:01:00 Dam Breaks, Causing Catastrophic Flood: May 16, 1874 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=144 On this day in 1602, the English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold dropped anchor off the Massachusetts coast. While he and four others went ashore, the rest of the crew pulled in so many cod that they "threw numbers of them overboard again." When Gosnold returned to the ship and saw the abundance of fish, he decided to name the place "Cape Cod." Although half of the 40 men who accompanied Gosnold had planned to stay and establish a trading post, in the end, they all returned to England. The cargo they brought home -- sassafras, cedar logs, and furs -- and their descriptions of a rich land populated by friendly natives inspired the next English effort at a permanent settlement in the New World -- Jamestown. Tue, 15 May 2012 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=144 On this day in 1602, the English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold dropped anchor off the Massachusetts coast. While he and four others went ashore, the rest of the crew pulled in so many cod that they "threw numbers of them overboard again." When Gosnold returned to the ship and saw the abundance of fish, he decided to name the place "Cape Cod." Although half of the 40 men who accompanied Gosnold had planned to stay and establish a trading post, in the end, they all returned to England. The cargo they brought home -- sassafras, cedar logs, and furs -- and their descriptions of a rich land populated by friendly natives inspired the next English effort at a permanent settlement in the New World -- Jamestown. no 0:01:00 Explorer Gosnold Names "Cape Cod": May 15, 1602 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=143 On this day in 1984, lawyer Jan Schlichtmann filed the first motion in the case made famous by the book and film "A Civil Action." For over a decade, children in Woburn had been falling ill and dying of leukemia in unusually high numbers. The victims' families became convinced that the town's polluted drinking water was to blame. It took years for them to find a lawyer, but finally Jan Schlichtmann agreed to represent them. He was out-spent and out-maneuvered by the high-powered defense attorneys hired by corporate giants W.R. Grace and Beatrice Foods. After two frustrating years of litigation, Schlictmann settled out of court. But the Environmental Protection Agency forced Grace and Beatrice to pay for the nation's most expensive toxic cleanup. Mon, 14 May 2012 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=143 On this day in 1984, lawyer Jan Schlichtmann filed the first motion in the case made famous by the book and film "A Civil Action." For over a decade, children in Woburn had been falling ill and dying of leukemia in unusually high numbers. The victims' families became convinced that the town's polluted drinking water was to blame. It took years for them to find a lawyer, but finally Jan Schlichtmann agreed to represent them. He was out-spent and out-maneuvered by the high-powered defense attorneys hired by corporate giants W.R. Grace and Beatrice Foods. After two frustrating years of litigation, Schlictmann settled out of court. But the Environmental Protection Agency forced Grace and Beatrice to pay for the nation's most expensive toxic cleanup. no 0:01:00 Complaint Filed on Toxic Pollution in Woburn: May 14, 1984 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=142 On this day in 1675, a Boston jury reached a verdict in the case of Mary Bliss Parsons of Northampton: they found her not guilty of witchcraft. In seventeenth-century New England, virtually everyone believed in witches. Hundreds of individuals faced charges of practicing witchcraft. They were women, or sometimes men, who had "signed the Devil's Book" and were working on his behalf. Their wickedness was blamed for calamities ranging from ailing animals to the death of infant children. While most of the accused never went to trial or were, like Mary Parsons, acquitted, not everyone was so lucky. Six Massachusetts women were hanged as witches in the years before the infamous Salem witch trials, which claimed 24 innocent lives. Sun, 13 May 2012 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=142 On this day in 1675, a Boston jury reached a verdict in the case of Mary Bliss Parsons of Northampton: they found her not guilty of witchcraft. In seventeenth-century New England, virtually everyone believed in witches. Hundreds of individuals faced charges of practicing witchcraft. They were women, or sometimes men, who had "signed the Devil's Book" and were working on his behalf. Their wickedness was blamed for calamities ranging from ailing animals to the death of infant children. While most of the accused never went to trial or were, like Mary Parsons, acquitted, not everyone was so lucky. Six Massachusetts women were hanged as witches in the years before the infamous Salem witch trials, which claimed 24 innocent lives. no 0:01:00 Jury Finds Mary Parsons Not Guilty of Witchcraft: May 13, 1675 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=141 On this day in 2002, more than 200,000 people celebrated Mother's Day by walking across the Leonard P. Zakim-Bunker Hill Bridge, months before it was open to cars. Built as part of the country's most expensive public works project -- "the Big Dig" -- the bridge is the widest cable-stayed span in the world. At first it was to be named the Leonard P. Zakim Freedom Bridge in honor of a man who spent his lifetime bringing together people of different races, religions, and ethnic groups. Since one end of the bridge is in Charlestown, officials added "Bunker Hill" to the name, in memory of the men who fought there in June 1775. Today, most Bostonians refer to the dramatic structure simply as the Zakim Bridge. Sat, 12 May 2012 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=141 On this day in 2002, more than 200,000 people celebrated Mother's Day by walking across the Leonard P. Zakim-Bunker Hill Bridge, months before it was open to cars. Built as part of the country's most expensive public works project -- "the Big Dig" -- the bridge is the widest cable-stayed span in the world. At first it was to be named the Leonard P. Zakim Freedom Bridge in honor of a man who spent his lifetime bringing together people of different races, religions, and ethnic groups. Since one end of the bridge is in Charlestown, officials added "Bunker Hill" to the name, in memory of the men who fought there in June 1775. Today, most Bostonians refer to the dramatic structure simply as the Zakim Bridge. no 0:01:00 Thousands Walk Across Zakim-Bunker Hill Bridge: May 12, 2002 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=140 On this day in 1884, The Boston Globe published the first "Housekeepers Column," known since 1922 as "Confidential Chat." Although many Globe reporters at first looked with disdain on a column in which readers -- the vast majority of them female -- shared recipes, advice, and support, "Confidential Chat" became an institution at the paper, having been published continuously for over 110 years. Writing under playful pen names such as "Dorchester Dottie," readers ask each other for help on everything from cooking and stain removal to child rearing and sexual mores. Many "Confidential Chat" readers consider themselves to be members of a special club. Some note proudly that they were the third generation of "Chat" readers -- and writers -- in their family. Fri, 11 May 2012 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=140 On this day in 1884, The Boston Globe published the first "Housekeepers Column," known since 1922 as "Confidential Chat." Although many Globe reporters at first looked with disdain on a column in which readers -- the vast majority of them female -- shared recipes, advice, and support, "Confidential Chat" became an institution at the paper, having been published continuously for over 110 years. Writing under playful pen names such as "Dorchester Dottie," readers ask each other for help on everything from cooking and stain removal to child rearing and sexual mores. Many "Confidential Chat" readers consider themselves to be members of a special club. Some note proudly that they were the third generation of "Chat" readers -- and writers -- in their family. no 0:01:00 Globe Publishes First "Confidential Chat": May 11, 1884 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=139 On this day in 1869, officials of the Union Pacific Railroad drove the symbolic "Golden Spike" to mark the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Telegraph wires attached to the spike and sledgehammer carried the news across the country. Reporters compared the event to the first shot fired on Lexington Green. Back in Boston, Oliver and Oakes Ames, the Massachusetts men who had been instrumental in the success of the six-year project, accepted congratulations. The owners of the world's largest shovel manufacturing company, the brothers had supplied many of the tools used to build the railroad. They had also arranged much of the financing. When the details of those arrangements were revealed, their reputations were ruined in one of the greatest financial scandals in U.S. history. Thu, 10 May 2012 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=139 On this day in 1869, officials of the Union Pacific Railroad drove the symbolic "Golden Spike" to mark the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Telegraph wires attached to the spike and sledgehammer carried the news across the country. Reporters compared the event to the first shot fired on Lexington Green. Back in Boston, Oliver and Oakes Ames, the Massachusetts men who had been instrumental in the success of the six-year project, accepted congratulations. The owners of the world's largest shovel manufacturing company, the brothers had supplied many of the tools used to build the railroad. They had also arranged much of the financing. When the details of those arrangements were revealed, their reputations were ruined in one of the greatest financial scandals in U.S. history. no 0:01:00 Ames Brothers Celebrate "Golden Spike": May 10, 1869