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Tenley Albright Wins Olympic Gold

February 3, 1956
February 3, 1956

Tenley Albright Wins Olympic Gold

On this day in 1956, figure skater Tenley Albright won the Gold Medal at the Olympic Games in Cortina, Italy. This should not have been a surprise, but it was. The 20-year-old from Newton was...

JFK's Farewell to Massachusetts Legislature

January 9, 1961
January 9, 1961

JFK's Farewell to Massachusetts Legislature

On this day in 1961, John F. Kennedy bade farewell to the people of Massachusetts and reminded them of the state's unique legacy. In a speech at the State House, the youngest man and first...

Free Love Supporters Protest at Faneuil Hall

August 1, 1878
August 1, 1878

Free Love Supporters Protest at Faneuil Hall

On this day in 1878, several thousand supporters of Ezra Heywood held an "Indignation Meeting" at Boston's Faneuil Hall. They were protesting his conviction and imprisonment on obscenity charges. Educated for the ministry, he had...

George McNeill Organizes Workers

June 2, 1852
June 2, 1852

George McNeill Organizes Workers

On this day in 1852, hundreds of mill workers at the Woolen Company in Amesbury walked out on strike. Fourteen-year-old George McNeill, who had worked in the carding room since he was ten, immediately organized...

Indian Boys Arrive in Longmeadow

January 23, 1800
January 23, 1800

Indian Boys Arrive in Longmeadow

On this day in 1800, Thomas Thorakwaneken Williams arrived in Longmeadow with his two young sons, Eleazer and John. Thomas was the grandson of Eunice Williams, captured as a child during the 1704 raid on...

Ku Klux Klan Rallies in Worcester

October 19, 1924
October 19, 1924

Ku Klux Klan Rallies in Worcester

On this day in 1924, the largest gathering of the Ku Klux Klan ever held in New England took place at the Agricultural Fairgrounds in Worcester. Klansmen in sheets and hoods, new Knights awaiting a...

Fugitive Slave Anthony Burns Arrested

May 24, 1854
May 24, 1854

Fugitive Slave Anthony Burns Arrested

On this day in 1854, Anthony Burns, a fugitive slave from Virginia, was arrested in Boston. His capture enraged black and white abolitionists. Two days after the arrest, a number of them attacked the federal...

Boston Celtics Retire Larry Bird's Number

February 4, 1993
February 4, 1993

Boston Celtics Retire Larry Bird's Number

On this day in 1993, there was standing room only in the Boston Garden as the Celtics retired Larry Bird's number. In his 13 seasons with Boston, Bird emerged as the embodiment of "Celtics Pride."...

Charlotte Forten Enters Salem Normal School

March 13, 1855
March 13, 1855

Charlotte Forten Enters Salem Normal School

On this day in 1855, Charlotte Forten passed the entrance examination for the Salem Normal School, one of four colleges recently established in Massachusetts to train teachers. She was the school's first black student. Eighteen...

nMt. Holyoke Cable Car Burned

February 17, 1965
February 17, 1965

nMt. Holyoke Cable Car Burned

On this day in 1965, Massachusetts officials burned what was left of the wooden tramway that had carried thousands of people to the summit of Mt. Holyoke. Abandoned for decades, the deteriorating tramway was a...

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