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Henry Knox Brings Cannon to Boston

January 24, 1776
January 24, 1776

Henry Knox Brings Cannon to Boston

On this day in 1776, Colonel Henry Knox reached the headquarters of the Continental Army in Cambridge. The young Boston bookseller had pulled off a daring plan. He had led a small group of men...

Blizzard Paralyzes Massachusetts

February 7, 1978
February 7, 1978

Blizzard Paralyzes Massachusetts

On this day in 1978, the storm of the century paralyzed the entire state of Massachusetts. The Blizzard of '78 dropped between two and four feet of snow on the Bay State over the course...

Blizzard Shuts Down Massachusetts

March 11, 1888
March 11, 1888

Blizzard Shuts Down Massachusetts

On this day in 1888, ordinary life in Massachusetts came to a standstill. One of the most destructive blizzards ever to strike the East Coast raged for 36 hours. Called "the White Hurricane," the storm...

G.E. Engineers Test Jet Engine

April 18, 1942
April 18, 1942

G.E. Engineers Test Jet Engine

On this day in 1942, after months of highly secret work, GE engineers in Lynn successfully tested the engine they called by the innocuous name "I-A." It was the first jet engine built in the...

Ames Brothers Celebrate "Golden Spike"

May 10, 1869
May 10, 1869

Ames Brothers Celebrate "Golden Spike"

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...

Thousands Walk Across Zakim-Bunker Hill Bridge

May 12, 2002
May 12, 2002

Thousands Walk Across Zakim-Bunker Hill Bridge

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...

Last Elevated Train Runs in Boston

June 25, 2004
June 25, 2004

Last Elevated Train Runs in Boston

On this day in 2004, Boston's last elevated train pulled into North Station. For over a century, Bostonians had avoided the congested streets below by riding trains carried on huge steel tracks overhead. When the...

First Train Reaches Provincetown

July 22, 1873
July 22, 1873

First Train Reaches Provincetown

On this day in 1873, the first train arrived at the tip of Cape Cod. The streets were bedecked with flags and streamers as 13 bright yellow coach cars, filled to capacity, pulled into Provincetown....

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...

Route 128 Opens Boston's High Tech Age

August 24, 1951
August 24, 1951

Route 128 Opens Boston's High Tech Age

On this day in 1951, the first segment of Route 128 was opened. By 1956, the expressway stretched 65 miles from Gloucester to Braintree. While officials were confident the road would relieve traffic in Boston...

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