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Explorer Gosnold Names "Cape Cod"

May 15, 1602
May 15, 1602

Explorer Gosnold Names "Cape Cod"

On this day in 1602, the English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold dropped anchor off the Massachusetts coast. While he and four others went ashore, the rest of the crew pulled in so many cod that they...

The Stockholm Rams the Andrea Doria

July 25, 1956
July 25, 1956

The Stockholm Rams the Andrea Doria

On this day in 1956, two ocean liners collided in thick fog, approximately 50 miles south of Nantucket. The Stockholm had just left New York City bound for Sweden. The Andrea Doria was due to...

Police Find First Victim of "Boston Strangler"

June 14, 1962
June 14, 1962

Police Find First Victim of "Boston Strangler"

On this day in 1962, police discovered the body of the first victim of the "Boston Strangler." For the next two years, Boston would be paralyzed by fear as the strangling deaths of 13 women...

Robert Cormier Born

January 17, 1925
January 17, 1925

Robert Cormier Born

On this day in 1925, author Robert Cormier was born into Leominster's tight-knit French-Canadian neighborhood, and he remained there for the rest of his life. After graduating from Fitchburg State University, he began a 30-year...

Sarah Remond Ejected from Boston Theater

May 4, 1853
May 4, 1853

Sarah Remond Ejected from Boston Theater

On this day in 1853, Sarah Parker Remond and two other African Americans entered a Boston theater intending to enjoy a Mozart opera. When the manager discovered they were people of color, he directed them...

Boston Abolitionists Await Emancipation Proclamation

December 31, 1862
December 31, 1862

Boston Abolitionists Await Emancipation Proclamation

On this day, New Year's Eve 1862, William Lloyd Garrison, publisher of the abolitionist paper The Liberator, delayed printing the latest edition as he waited for news from Washington. At midnight, his son and daughter...

Fire Rages at Myles Standish State Forest

May 25, 1964
May 25, 1964

Fire Rages at Myles Standish State Forest

On this day in 1964, a raging wildfire crossed the boundaries of Myles Standish State Forest, and into the town of Plymouth. Two days earlier flames had consumed 800 acres of the forest, but firefighters...

Patent Office Rules in Favor of Elias Howe

July 1, 1854
July 1, 1854

Patent Office Rules in Favor of Elias Howe

On this day in 1854, the battle ended over who owned the patent for the first sewing machine. A federal commission ruled that the patent held by Elias Howe of Cambridge was valid and ordered...

Silvio Conte Dies

February 8, 1991
February 8, 1991

Silvio Conte Dies

On this day in 1991, Representative Silvio Conte died at age 70. A Republican in a largely Democratic state, more liberal than most members of his party, the Pittsfield native never lost an election in...

Bostonians Lay Cornerstone for Bunker Hill Monument

June 17, 1825
June 17, 1825

Bostonians Lay Cornerstone for Bunker Hill Monument

On this day in 1825, at the laying of the cornerstone of the Bunker Hill Monument, Daniel Webster addressed a crowd of 100,000, including 190 veterans who had survived the first major battle of the...

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