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Eli Whitney Patents the Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney Patents the Cotton Gin
On this day in 1794, Westborough native Eli Whitney applied for a patent on the cotton gin. Raised on a farm in Massachusetts, he invented a machine that made growing cotton so profitable that the...
Five Die in Boston Massacre
Five Die in Boston Massacre
On this day in 1770, Crispus Attucks, a black man from Framingham, and four other civilians were shot by British soldiers. Attucks worked on whaling ships and, between voyages, as a semi-skilled laborer around the...
Alcott Family Arrives at Fruitlands
Alcott Family Arrives at Fruitlands
On this day in 1843, a group of three adults and five children made its way from Concord to the town of Harvard. Their destination was an old and dilapidated farmhouse in a beautiful but...
Rosie Ruiz Steals Boston Marathon
Rosie Ruiz Steals Boston Marathon
On this day in 1980 Rosie Ruiz tried to steal the Boston Marathon. Crowned the women's champion when she crossed the finish line, Ruiz looked surprisingly well-rested for someone who had just run 26.2 miles...
Millerites Await End of the World
Millerites Await End of the World
On this day in 1844, tens of thousands of people in Massachusetts expected the world to come to an end. They were followers of William Miller, a man who claimed to know the date of...
Dunkin’ Donuts Founder Dies
Dunkin’ Donuts Founder Dies
On this day in 2002, Dorchester native William Rosenberg, who made a morning stop for coffee and donuts a national habit, died at the age of 86. In a classic rags-to-riches story, the Dunkin' Donuts...
Blizzard Shuts Down Massachusetts
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...
Massachusetts General Hospital Admits First Patient
Massachusetts General Hospital Admits First Patient
On this day in 1821, the Massachusetts General Hospital admitted its first patient, a 30-year-old sailor. More than a decade earlier, two Boston doctors had appealed to the city's "wealthiest and most influential citizens" to...
David Walker Found Dead
David Walker Found Dead
On this day in 1830, David Walker, a prominent and outspoken black man, was found dead in his Boston home. The year before he had written David Walker's Appeal To the Coloured Citizens of the...
Dr. Boylston Experiments with Smallpox Inoculation
Dr. Boylston Experiments with Smallpox Inoculation
On this day in 1721, Boston doctor Zabdiel Boylston took a gamble with his young son's life and inoculated him against smallpox. Puritan minister Cotton Mather had learned from one of his slaves that in...