Trending Moments

Pitcher Cy Young Dies

November 4, 1955
November 4, 1955

Pitcher Cy Young Dies

On this day in 1955, legendary pitcher Cy Young died. He spent much of his 22-year career in Boston, arriving in 1901 to play for the new American League team that would become the Red...

Fire Destroys Malden Mills

December 11, 1995
December 11, 1995

Fire Destroys Malden Mills

On this day in 1995, a massive, wind-whipped fire completely destroyed three buildings at Malden Mills in Lawrence, where the company's signature Polartec fabric was produced. Just two weeks before Christmas, thousands of workers faced...

Brownies Take a Winter Swim

January 1, 1904
January 1, 1904

Brownies Take a Winter Swim

On this day in 1904, the L Street Brownies held their first New Year's Day swim in Boston Harbor. Every year since then, a crowd of swimmers and an even larger crowd of onlookers has...

Critic Declares Springsteen Future of Rock and Roll

May 9, 1974
May 9, 1974

Critic Declares Springsteen Future of Rock and Roll

On this day in 1974, 25-year-old Bruce Springsteen played at the Harvard Square Theater in Cambridge. Although popular with the college crowd in the Northeast, Springsteen was not yet a star. That night, he and...

Deborah Sampson Performs in Boston

March 26, 1802
March 26, 1802

Deborah Sampson Performs in Boston

On this day in 1802, a performance of "The American Heroine" took place in a fashionable Boston theater. The audience watched spellbound as a middle-aged farmwife, dressed in the uniform of a Continental soldier, loaded...

Boston Mob Protests Stamp Act

August 14, 1765
August 14, 1765

Boston Mob Protests Stamp Act

On this day in 1765, the British official charged with administering the hated Stamp Act was hung in effigy from an elm tree near Boston Common. A small group of merchants and master craftsmen had...

Anti-war Activists Sentenced to Prison

July 10, 1968
July 10, 1968

Anti-war Activists Sentenced to Prison

On this day in 1968, four men were sentenced to federal prison for counseling young men to refuse military service. Dubbed the Boston Five, the defendants included famed baby doctor Benjamin Spock and Yale Chaplain...

Sophia Smith Endows New Women's College

March 8, 1870
March 8, 1870

Sophia Smith Endows New Women's College

On this day in 1870, a shy but determined woman from Hatfield willed that her fortune be used to establish a women's college in Northampton. The first woman in America to endow a college for...

Emily Greene Balch Born

January 8, 1867
January 8, 1867

Emily Greene Balch Born

On this day in 1867, Emily Balch was born in Jamaica Plain. Her parents' affluence and enlightened views allowed her to attend college at a time when few women did. She entered Bryn Mawr in...

Lynn Shoeworkers Strike

February 22, 1860
February 22, 1860

Lynn Shoeworkers Strike

On this day in 1860, thousands of striking shoeworkers filled Lyceum Hall in Lynn. By choosing to begin their protest on Washington's birthday, the strikers were invoking the memory of their revolutionary forefathers. Lynn had...

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?

What is the sum of 5 and 7?
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.