Trending Moments
Boston Celtics Retire Larry Bird's Number
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."...
Harry "Bucky" Lew Born
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...
Jury Finds Mary Parsons Not Guilty of Witchcraft
Jury Finds Mary Parsons Not Guilty of Witchcraft
On this day in 1675, a Boston jury reached a verdict in the case of Mary Bliss Parsons of Northampton: they found her not guilty of witchcraft. In seventeenth-century New England, virtually everyone believed in...
Robert Goddard Launches Space Age
Robert Goddard Launches Space Age
On this day in 1926, Clark University physics professor Robert Goddard launched the world's first liquid fuel rocket — and with it the space age. Standing in a snow-covered field in Auburn, Massachusetts, he watched...
Kerouac Writes First Novel
Kerouac Writes First Novel
On this day in 1948, Lowell native Jack Kerouac happily noted in his diary that he had written 2500 words. If he could keep up this pace, he would finish his first novel in a...
Isaiah Thomas Born
Isaiah Thomas Born
On this day in 1749, the Patriot printer Isaiah Thomas was born. In 1770, Thomas established the Massachusetts Spy, the first newspaper aimed at middle-class readers. While other papers were happy with 400 subscribers, the...
Lewis Latimer Awarded First Patent
Lewis Latimer Awarded First Patent
On this day in 1874, inventor Lewis Latimer received his first patent. The son of a Virginia couple who had escaped from slavery, he was born and raised in Chelsea. After a stint in the...
JFK's Farewell to Massachusetts Legislature
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...
Christmas Celebration Outlawed
Christmas Celebration Outlawed
On this day in 1659, a law was passed by the General Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony requiring a five-shilling fine from anyone caught "observing any such day as Christmas or the like, either by...
Free Love Supporters Protest at Faneuil Hall
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...