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Boston Masons Organize First Grand Lodge in America

July 30, 1733
July 30, 1733

Boston Masons Organize First Grand Lodge in America

On this day in 1733, 18 men gathered at the Bunch of Grapes Tavern on King Street in Boston and organized the first Masonic Lodge in North America. The fraternal society was based loosely on...

Revenue Cutter Service School Established in New Bedford

July 31, 1876
July 31, 1876

Revenue Cutter Service School Established in New Bedford

On this day in 1876, Congress established at New Bedford the first School of Instruction to train officers for the Revenue Service. The Service traced its history back to 1790 when Congress decided it needed...

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...

Dr. Joslin Makes First Entry in Diabetic Ledger

August 2, 1893
August 2, 1893

Dr. Joslin Makes First Entry in Diabetic Ledger

On this day in 1893, a student at Harvard Medical School made the first entry in a ledger he would keep for the rest of his long career. Elliott Joslin examined a frail young Irish...

Calvin Coolidge Sworn in as President

August 3, 1923
August 3, 1923

Calvin Coolidge Sworn in as President

On this day in 1923, upon the death of Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as President of the United States. "Silent Cal" had been the Republican governor of Massachusetts, little known outside...

Lizzie Borden's Father and Stepmother Murdered

August 4, 1892
August 4, 1892

Lizzie Borden's Father and Stepmother Murdered

On this day in 1892, a prosperous banker and his wife were hacked to death with a hatchet in their Fall River home. Suspicion immediately focused on the man's unmarried 32-year-old daughter, Lizzie Borden. Basing...

Hawthorne and Melville Meet for the First Time

August 5, 1850
August 5, 1850

Hawthorne and Melville Meet for the First Time

On this day in 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville were among a small group who climbed to the top of Monument Mountain in the Berkshires for a picnic. Hawthorne had recently published The Scarlet...

Red Sox Retire Yastrzemski's Number

August 6, 1989
August 6, 1989

Red Sox Retire Yastrzemski's Number

On this day in 1989, the Boston Red Sox retired Carl Yastrzemski's Number 8. Only 20 years old when he took over for the great Ted Williams in left field in 1961, he went on...

J.F.K. Signs Bill Creating Cape Cod National Seashore

August 7, 1961
August 7, 1961

J.F.K. Signs Bill Creating Cape Cod National Seashore

On this day in 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed a bill authorizing the establishment of Cape Cod National Seashore. A long-time summer resident of the Cape, J.F.K. had co-sponsored the legislation while in the...

Central Artery Project Announced

August 8, 1954
August 8, 1954

Central Artery Project Announced

On this day in 1954, The Boston Globe announced the opening of the first elevated expressway in the United States. Hailed as an engineering marvel and a model of urban planning, the Central Artery incorporated...

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