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New Bedford Strikers Cast Vote

October 6, 1928
October 6, 1928

New Bedford Strikers Cast Vote

On this day in 1928, after a bitter six-month strike, the members of New Bedford's Textile Council voted to accept a compromise offer. Faced with overproduction and falling profits, the mill owners had imposed a...

Stock Market Crash Heralds Great Depression

October 29, 1929
October 29, 1929

Stock Market Crash Heralds Great Depression

On this day in 1929, stock markets in Boston, New York, and other major American cities tumbled so dramatically that the day was named Black Tuesday. Capping five days of frenzied panic selling, Black Tuesday...

Boston's "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald Elected to Congress

November 6, 1895
November 6, 1895

Boston's "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald Elected to Congress

On this day in 1895, a colorful Irishman from Boston's North End, nicknamed "Honey Fitz" for his charming and loquacious ways, was elected to the U.S. Congress. Ten years later, John Francis Fitzgerald returned to...

Congress Designates Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor

November 10, 1986
November 10, 1986

Congress Designates Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor

On this day in 1986, Congress designated the historic Blackstone River Valley a National Heritage Corridor. Running from Worcester to Providence, the Blackstone Valley lays claim to being the birthplace of the industrial revolution in...

King Gillette Patents Safety Razor

November 15, 1904
November 15, 1904

King Gillette Patents Safety Razor

On this day in 1904, Boston-based inventor King Camp Gillette received a patent for an improved safety razor with a disposable blade. After almost 10 years of work, Gillette succeeded in mass-producing a sharp blade...

Quincy's Granite Industry Begins

November 16, 1825
November 16, 1825

Quincy's Granite Industry Begins

On this day in 1825, a Boston newspaper carried a notice seeking 9,000 tons of "the best Quincy granite" for the Bunker Hill Monument. This marked the beginning of the granite industry in Quincy. For...

First Steamboat Passes Through South Hadley Canal

December 1, 1826
December 1, 1826

First Steamboat Passes Through South Hadley Canal

On this day in 1826, the Barnet, the first steamboat to operate on the Connecticut River, passed through the South Hadley Canal on its way to Vermont. For centuries, despite waterfalls along the way, New...

Erastus Bigelow Dies

December 6, 1879
December 6, 1879

Erastus Bigelow Dies

On this day in 1879, Erastus Bigelow, the father of the modern carpet industry, died in Boston. Born in West Boylston, Bigelow and his brother followed their father into the textile business. After several inventions...

WW II Sends Record Number of Bay State Women to Work

December 7, 1941
December 7, 1941

WW II Sends Record Number of Bay State Women to Work

On this day in 1941, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor launched the people of Massachusetts into World War II — and out of the Depression. The state's industrial cities and shipyards sprang back to...

Fire Destroys Malden Mills

December 11, 1995
December 11, 1995

Fire Destroys Malden Mills

On this day in 1995, a massive, wind-whipped fire completely destroyed three buildings at Malden Mills in Lawrence, where the company's signature Polartec fabric was produced. Just two weeks before Christmas, thousands of workers faced...

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