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Boston Masons Organize First Grand Lodge in America

July 30, 1733
July 30, 1733

Boston Masons Organize First Grand Lodge in America

On this day in 1733, 18 men gathered at the Bunch of Grapes Tavern on King Street in Boston and organized the first Masonic Lodge in North America. The fraternal society was based loosely on...

New Bedford Strikers Cast Vote

October 6, 1928
October 6, 1928

New Bedford Strikers Cast Vote

On this day in 1928, after a bitter six-month strike, the members of New Bedford's Textile Council voted to accept a compromise offer. Faced with overproduction and falling profits, the mill owners had imposed a...

Harry "Bucky" Lew Born

January 4, 1884
January 4, 1884

Harry "Bucky" Lew Born

On this day in 1884, Harry Haskell Lew was born in Lowell to a family that had long been active in the struggle for racial equality. Known from childhood as "Bucky," he made his mark...

George McNeill Organizes Workers

June 2, 1852
June 2, 1852

George McNeill Organizes Workers

On this day in 1852, hundreds of mill workers at the Woolen Company in Amesbury walked out on strike. Fourteen-year-old George McNeill, who had worked in the carding room since he was ten, immediately organized...

Tenley Albright Wins Olympic Gold

February 3, 1956
February 3, 1956

Tenley Albright Wins Olympic Gold

On this day in 1956, figure skater Tenley Albright won the Gold Medal at the Olympic Games in Cortina, Italy. This should not have been a surprise, but it was. The 20-year-old from Newton was...

JFK's Farewell to Massachusetts Legislature

January 9, 1961
January 9, 1961

JFK's Farewell to Massachusetts Legislature

On this day in 1961, John F. Kennedy bade farewell to the people of Massachusetts and reminded them of the state's unique legacy. In a speech at the State House, the youngest man and first...

Free Love Supporters Protest at Faneuil Hall

August 1, 1878
August 1, 1878

Free Love Supporters Protest at Faneuil Hall

On this day in 1878, several thousand supporters of Ezra Heywood held an "Indignation Meeting" at Boston's Faneuil Hall. They were protesting his conviction and imprisonment on obscenity charges. Educated for the ministry, he had...

Indian Boys Arrive in Longmeadow

January 23, 1800
January 23, 1800

Indian Boys Arrive in Longmeadow

On this day in 1800, Thomas Thorakwaneken Williams arrived in Longmeadow with his two young sons, Eleazer and John. Thomas was the grandson of Eunice Williams, captured as a child during the 1704 raid on...

Boston Celtics Retire Larry Bird's Number

February 4, 1993
February 4, 1993

Boston Celtics Retire Larry Bird's Number

On this day in 1993, there was standing room only in the Boston Garden as the Celtics retired Larry Bird's number. In his 13 seasons with Boston, Bird emerged as the embodiment of "Celtics Pride."...

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...

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