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Abigail Adams Knows

February 2, 1775
February 2, 1775

Abigail Adams Knows

On this day in 1775, Abigail Adams wrote sadly "the Die is Cast . . . The Sword is now our only yet dreadful alternative." The day before, news had come from England. King George...

Arlo Guthrie Convicted of Littering

November 28, 1965
November 28, 1965

Arlo Guthrie Convicted of Littering

On this day in 1965, 20-year-old Arlo Guthrie was convicted of littering in the Berkshire County town of Stockbridge, and the song "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" was born. The son of legendary musician Woody Guthrie, Arlo...

Bill Belichick Named Head Coach of the Patriots

January 27, 2000
January 27, 2000

Bill Belichick Named Head Coach of the Patriots

On this day in 2000, Bill Belichick was named head coach of the New England Patriots. Belichick had already earned a reputation as a brilliant defensive strategist in his years with the Giants and the...

First Missionaries Leave for Hawaii

October 23, 1819
October 23, 1819

First Missionaries Leave for Hawaii

On this day in 1819, a crowd gathered on a Boston wharf to bid farewell to the first Protestant missionaries bound for Hawaii. Among them were seven Massachusetts couples, four of them recently married. After...

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...

The First Leprosy Patients Arrive on Penikese Island

November 18, 1905
November 18, 1905

The First Leprosy Patients Arrive on Penikese Island

On this day in 1905, five leprosy patients arrived on Penikese Island in Buzzard's Bay, the site of the first and only leprosarium in Massachusetts. Over the next 16 years, 36 victims of leprosy, or...

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...

Activist Florence Luscomb Born

February 6, 1887
February 6, 1887

Activist Florence Luscomb Born

On this day in 1887, lifelong political activist Florence Luscomb was born in Lowell. As a child, she heard the legendary Susan B. Anthony speak. In her 20s, she traveled the state campaigning for woman...

Deborah Sampson Performs in Boston

March 26, 1802
March 26, 1802

Deborah Sampson Performs in Boston

On this day in 1802, a performance of "The American Heroine" took place in a fashionable Boston theater. The audience watched spellbound as a middle-aged farmwife, dressed in the uniform of a Continental soldier, loaded...

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...

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