Trending Moments

UMass Researchers Clone Calves

January 20, 1998
January 20, 1998

UMass Researchers Clone Calves

On this day in 1998, two researchers affiliated with the University of Massachusetts drew worldwide attention when they went public with a birth announcement. The new arrivals, named Charlie and George, were genetically-identical Holstein calves....

Oliver Wendell Holmes Born in Cambridge

August 29, 1809
August 29, 1809

Oliver Wendell Holmes Born in Cambridge

On this day in 1809, Oliver Wendell Holmes was born in Cambridge. The man who coined the phrase "Boston Brahmin," he was a true member of that class, and he entertained the nation with poems,...

Otis House Moved

June 27, 1925
June 27, 1925

Otis House Moved

On this day in 1925, workmen finished moving an historic Beacon Hill residence back from the brink of destruction. Cambridge Street was slated to be turned from a crooked cobblestone street into a wide thoroughfare,...

Watertown-built Car Climbs Mt. Washington

August 31, 1899
August 31, 1899

Watertown-built Car Climbs Mt. Washington

On this day in 1899, Newton inventor F.O. Stanley took his wife Flora for a drive — into the record books. Leaving home in a steam-powered Locomobile, built in the Stanley brothers' Watertown shop, the...

Hasty Pudding Club Forms at Harvard

September 8, 1795
September 8, 1795

Hasty Pudding Club Forms at Harvard

On this day in 1795, 21 Harvard students gathered in a dorm room and formed a secret social club to cultivate "friendship and patriotism." Members agreed to take turns providing a pot of hasty pudding...

Massachusetts Audubon Society Makes First Land Purchase

September 9, 1922
September 9, 1922

Massachusetts Audubon Society Makes First Land Purchase

On this day in 1922, the Massachusetts Audubon Society purchased its first parcel of land. For $8,000, it acquired 43 acres in the town of Sharon — the core of the Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary...

Henrietta Leavitt Buried in Cambridge

December 14, 1921
December 14, 1921

Henrietta Leavitt Buried in Cambridge

On this day in 1921, Henrietta Leavitt, a scientist at the Harvard Observatory, was buried in Cambridge. Her premature death cut short a brilliant career as an astronomer. In the late nineteenth century, observatory director...

The Great Republic Burns

December 26, 1853
December 26, 1853

The Great Republic Burns

On this day in 1853, the Great Republic burned to the waterline in New York harbor the day before she was to set sail on her maiden voyage. Built by Donald McKay, the man most...

Northampton Bank Receives Ransom Note

February 28, 1876
February 28, 1876

Northampton Bank Receives Ransom Note

On this day in 1876, a ransom note was sent to the Northampton National Bank. Just a month earlier, a notorious gang of New York thieves had managed to break through the bank's new security...

Framingham Disassembles Meetinghouse

October 13, 1735
October 13, 1735

Framingham Disassembles Meetinghouse

On this day in 1735, Framingham's town meeting voted to "give the old meeting house frame" to their minister, who would undoubtedly find another use for it. The town had erected its first meetinghouse in...

Mass Moments is a project of Mass Humanities, whose mission is to support programs that use history, literature, philosophy, and the other humanities disciplines to enhance and improve civic life throughout the Commonwealth.

Please consider helping us towards our goals with a donation today.

Interested in sponsoring Mass Moments?

Please add 3 and 6.
An Error Occurred: Internal Server Error

Oops! An Error Occurred

The server returned a "500 Internal Server Error".

Something is broken. Please let us know what you were doing when this error occurred. We will fix it as soon as possible. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.