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First Train Reaches Provincetown
First Train Reaches Provincetown
On this day in 1873, the first train arrived at the tip of Cape Cod. The streets were bedecked with flags and streamers as 13 bright yellow coach cars, filled to capacity, pulled into Provincetown....
Native American Writer Born
Native American Writer Born
On this day in 1798, a member of the Pequot tribe named William Apess was born in Colrain, a village in western Massachusetts. Although his childhood was marked by poverty and abuse, he learned to...
Northampton Dedicates Sojourner Truth Statue
Northampton Dedicates Sojourner Truth Statue
On this day in 2002, a statue was installed in Florence, a village of Northampton, to honor Sojourner Truth, the former enslaved woman best known for the "Ain't I a Woman" speech she delivered in 1851....
Frances Perkins Born in Boston
Frances Perkins Born in Boston
On this day in 1880, Frances Perkins, the first woman to hold a cabinet position, was born in Boston. Raised in Worcester, she attended Mt. Holyoke College, where she became committed to improving the lot...
American Optical Celebrates 150th Anniversary
American Optical Celebrates 150th Anniversary
On this day in 1983, Southbridge celebrated the 150th anniversary of the nation's oldest optical company — the American Optical Company, or "the A.O." as it was known in the Worcester County town where it...
Ground Broken for Symphony Hall
Ground Broken for Symphony Hall
On this day in 1899, ground was broken for Boston's Symphony Hall. From the day it was completed a year and a half later, the building would be considered one of finest concert halls in...
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...
Trainer Discovers Seabiscuit at Suffolk Downs
Trainer Discovers Seabiscuit at Suffolk Downs
On this day in 1936, Tom Smith, an experienced horse trainer, spied an unlikely looking three-year-old Thoroughbred on the track at East Boston's Suffolk Downs. The two exchanged knowing nods. One year later, Smith returned...
Ames Brothers Celebrate "Golden Spike"
Ames Brothers Celebrate "Golden Spike"
On this day in 1869, officials of the Union Pacific Railroad drove the symbolic "Golden Spike" to mark the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Telegraph wires attached to the spike and sledgehammer carried the...
Architect H.H. Richardson Born
Architect H.H. Richardson Born
On this day in 1838, Henry Hobson Richardson, one of the true geniuses of American architecture, was born. A native of Louisiana, he received his architectural training in Paris. But the ties he formed during...