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W.E.B. DuBois Returns to Harvard
W.E.B. DuBois Returns to Harvard
On this day in 1904, W.E.B. DuBois gave a lecture on "the race question" at Harvard, where nine years before he had been the first black person to receive a Ph.D. From his childhood in...
First Steamboat Passes Through South Hadley Canal
First Steamboat Passes Through South Hadley Canal
On this day in 1826, the Barnet, the first steamboat to operate on the Connecticut River, passed through the South Hadley Canal on its way to Vermont. For centuries, despite waterfalls along the way, New...
Boston Swears in First Irish-born Mayor
Boston Swears in First Irish-born Mayor
On this day in 1885, Hugh O'Brien, the first Irish immigrant elected mayor of Boston, took the oath of office. A new era was beginning. For several decades, the Roman Catholic Irish had outnumbered the...
Rocky Marciano Wins First World Heavyweight Title
Rocky Marciano Wins First World Heavyweight Title
On this day in 1952, Rocky Marciano knocked out "Jersey Joe" Walcott in the 13th round to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Growing up in Brockton during the Depression, Marciano promised himself he would find...
Paul Cuffe Sails for Sierra Leone
Paul Cuffe Sails for Sierra Leone
On this day in 1815, Paul Cuffe of Westport sailed for the west coast of Africa with 38 black emigrants and a cargo of goods on board his vessel. The goal was for the families...
H.L. Mencken Arrested in Boston
H.L. Mencken Arrested in Boston
On this day in 1926, reporter and literary critic H.L. Mencken was arrested on Boston Common for selling a magazine that had been banned by the New England Watch and Ward Society, the city's self-appointed...
Paul Revere Statue Unveiled
Paul Revere Statue Unveiled
On this day in 1940, a bronze statue of Paul Revere was unveiled in the shadow of the Old North Church. In the crowd of 8,000, stood the sculptor — 79-year-old Cyrus Dallin. He had...
Berkshire-Hathaway Announces Mill Closing
Berkshire-Hathaway Announces Mill Closing
On this day in 1958, the North Adams Transcript reported that the owners of the Berkshire-Hathaway Company had passed a death sentence on their factory in Adams. The company announced that it was shutting down...
Boston Police Vote to Unionize, Precipitating Riots
Boston Police Vote to Unionize, Precipitating Riots
On this day in 1919, Boston policemen seeking better wages and working conditions voted to form a union. The Commissioner of Police forbade them to unionize. Tensions escalated until, three weeks later, 19 officers were...
Birth Control Pioneer Born
Birth Control Pioneer Born
On this day in 1890, birth control pioneer John Rock was born in the small Massachusetts town of Marlborough. He was a deeply religious Catholic even as a child. After college and medical school at...