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Sixth Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment Organized

January 21, 1861
January 21, 1861

Sixth Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment Organized

On this day in 1861, the Sixth Massachusetts Volunteer Militia was formally organized. With war approaching, men who worked in the textile cities of Lowell and Lawrence joined this new infantry regiment. They were issued...

First Train Reaches Provincetown

July 22, 1873
July 22, 1873

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....

Frances Perkins Born in Boston

April 10, 1880
April 10, 1880

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...

Architect H.H. Richardson Born

September 29, 1838
September 29, 1838

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...

Rocky Marciano Wins First World Heavyweight Title

September 23, 1952
September 23, 1952

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...

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Opens

February 23, 1903
February 23, 1903

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Opens

On this day in 1903, Isabella Stewart Gardner's newly completed home and museum was opened to the public for the first time. The grand building on the Fenway was the realization of Mrs. Gardner's dream...

Ground Broken for Symphony Hall

June 12, 1899
June 12, 1899

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...

Northampton Dedicates Sojourner Truth Statue

October 4, 2002
October 4, 2002

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....

Trainer Discovers Seabiscuit at Suffolk Downs

June 29, 1936
June 29, 1936

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...

American Optical Celebrates 150th Anniversary

June 18, 1983
June 18, 1983

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...

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