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Workers Complete Hoosac Tunnel

November 27, 1874
November 27, 1874

Workers Complete Hoosac Tunnel

On this day in 1874, workers in the small western Massachusetts town of Florida finished the Hoosac Tunnel, bringing to completion one of the world's most ambitious engineering projects. The Hoosac Mountain Range had long...

Painter John Singleton Copley Born

July 3, 1738
July 3, 1738

Painter John Singleton Copley Born

On this day in 1738, John Singleton Copley was born in Boston to recent Irish immigrants. From these humble beginnings, he became the foremost artist in colonial America. His natural talent, attention to detail, and...

Winthrop Buys Passage for Ironworkers

May 5, 1643
May 5, 1643

Winthrop Buys Passage for Ironworkers

On this day in 1643, John Winthrop, Jr. paid 50 pounds for the passage of skilled ironworkers from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Initially, the men worked at the iron works that Winthrop and...

Tornado Devastates Worcester

June 9, 1953
June 9, 1953

Tornado Devastates Worcester

On this day in 1953, Worcester County was devastated by the strongest tornado ever to hit New England. With winds close to 300 mph, the twister traveled 46 miles across the county, reaching its peak...

Writer Margaret Fuller Born

May 23, 1810
May 23, 1810

Writer Margaret Fuller Born

On this day in 1810, Margaret Fuller was born in Cambridge. Teacher, author, critic, philosopher, journalist, she is remembered today as a woman with a formidable intellect and a willingness to take risks. One of...

John Brown Speaks in Concord

March 12, 1857
March 12, 1857

John Brown Speaks in Concord

On this day in 1857, John Brown addressed a crowd in Concord Town Hall. He spoke about the situation in Kansas, where a bitter struggle was underway between pro- and anti-slavery settlers. In a matter-of-fact...

Agrippa Hull Enlists

May 1, 1777
May 1, 1777

Agrippa Hull Enlists

On this day in 1777, Agrippa Hull, a freeborn black man from the Berkshire County town of Stockbridge, signed on to serve in the Continental Army for the duration of the Revolutionary War. The 18-year-old...

Thousands Walk Across Zakim-Bunker Hill Bridge

May 12, 2002
May 12, 2002

Thousands Walk Across Zakim-Bunker Hill Bridge

On this day in 2002, more than 200,000 people celebrated Mother's Day by walking across the Leonard P. Zakim-Bunker Hill Bridge, months before it was open to cars. Built as part of the country's most...

Utopians Purchase Brook Farm

October 11, 1841
October 11, 1841

Utopians Purchase Brook Farm

On this day in 1841, a group of Boston-area utopians purchased Brook Farm in West Roxbury. The writer Nathaniel Hawthorne spent six months there and later wrote about his experiences in his satirical novel Blithedale...

"Richest Woman in America" Born in New Bedford

November 21, 1834
November 21, 1834

"Richest Woman in America" Born in New Bedford

On this day in 1834, the wealthiest whaling family in New Bedford celebrated the birth of their only daughter. This little girl would grow up to be the richest — and, according to legend, the...

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