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Washington Commissions First Naval Officer

September 2, 1775
September 2, 1775

Washington Commissions First Naval Officer

On this day in 1775, General George Washington commissioned Nicholson Broughton captain "in the Army of the United Colonies of North America." Broughton had a novel assignment: The Marblehead man was to be master of...

Boston Lighthouse Lit for the First Time

September 14, 1716
September 14, 1716

Boston Lighthouse Lit for the First Time

On this day in 1716, Boston Light on Little Brewster Island was lit for the first time. The first lighthouse built in North America, the structure weathered 60 years of lightning strikes and hurricane-force winds...

Fitchburg Forms Ladies Soldier's Aid Society

September 16, 1861
September 16, 1861

Fitchburg Forms Ladies Soldier's Aid Society

On this day in 1861, more than 100 women in the central Massachusetts town of Fitchburg formed a Ladies Soldier's Aid Society. The organization's mission was to support Union men on the front and assist...

Amherst's Troops Camp on Boston Common

September 18, 1758
September 18, 1758

Amherst's Troops Camp on Boston Common

On this day in 1758, 4,500 British troops under the command of Jeffrey Amherst camped on Boston Common before setting off to fight the French. Newly promoted to Major-General, Amherst had recently engineered an important...

Massachusetts Soldiers Threaten Mutiny

September 30, 1759
September 30, 1759

Massachusetts Soldiers Threaten Mutiny

On this day in 1759, a regiment of Massachusetts men serving in the French and Indian War began to talk of mutiny against their British commander. The colonel had decided not to release the volunteers...

Duxbury Dedicates Standish Monument

October 7, 1872
October 7, 1872

Duxbury Dedicates Standish Monument

On this day in 1872, a crowd of 10,000 climbed to the top of Captain's Hill in Duxbury to watch the cornerstone being laid for the Myles Standish Monument. Military leader of the Plymouth Colony,...

Balloonist Takes First Aerial Photograph

October 8, 1860
October 8, 1860

Balloonist Takes First Aerial Photograph

On this day in 1860, Boston newspapers carried an advertisement for an extraordinary event: photographer James Wallace Black would photograph Boston from a hot-air balloon hovering over the city. Black accomplished this well-publicized feat five...

USS Constitution Launched in Boston

October 21, 1797
October 21, 1797

USS Constitution Launched in Boston

On this day in 1797, USS Constitution was launched in Boston. It took three attempts to set the immense ship, reinforced with heavy diagonal planking and copper sheathing, afloat. Shipyard officials warned townspeople to be...

Revolutionary War Commander Artemas Ward Dies

October 28, 1800
October 28, 1800

Revolutionary War Commander Artemas Ward Dies

On this day in 1800, the man who commanded the ragtag American force that chased the British Regulars back to Boston following the battles of Lexington and Concord died at home in Shrewsbury. Trusted and...

Mercy Otis Marries James Warren

November 14, 1754
November 14, 1754

Mercy Otis Marries James Warren

On this day in 1754, Mercy Otis of Barnstable and James Warren of Plymouth began their remarkable 54-year partnership. When she married into a family active in public affairs, Mercy embraced the chance to be...

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