http://www.massmoments.org/ A daily almanac of Massachusetts history 1440 Copyright 2006 Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities TheOtherRoom.com CFML RSS Generator Sat, 31 Jul 2010 04:00:00 EST en-us Visitors of Mass Moments--a daily almanac of Massachusetts history--can learn more about the Moments presented on the radio, see images and illustrations, read a primary source document, and get suggestions of links to follow and places to visit. Additionally, they can view a timeline to see when a given Moment occurred, and where applicable, a map to see where it happened. Visitors are invited to comment or ask questions about a Moment on our message board, thus providing an on-line community where Bay State history enthusiasts can meet and discuss our past. They can sign up to receive Mass Moments daily in their email, and if they post a question to the message board, they can be notified when someone has responded. Past Moments (those posted since January 1, 2005) are searchable, by key words, subject, time period, and region. A daily almanac of Massachusetts history. Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities Massachusetts almanac, radio program, eMoment, eMoments, Massachusetts history, Bay State, Western Mass, MA, Eastern Mass, Boston, Mass Moments, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, daily history, this day in history, today's history, today in history no http://www.massmoments.org/rss/images/mass_moments_75.jpg http://www.massmoments.org/ info@massmoments.org Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=223 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 come to reject all forms of social control. He was an ardent abolitionist and, after the Civil War, a strong supporter of women's rights. He sought not just suffrage for women but their right to be free from the "sexual slavery" he believed marriage entailed. Together with his wife Angela, he published a journal and pamphlets that advocated free love and birth control. In doing so, he knowingly violated federal obscenity laws. He paid for his beliefs with his own freedom, spending two years at hard labor in a Dedham jail. ]]> 01 Aug 2010 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=223 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 come to reject all forms of social control. He was an ardent abolitionist and, after the Civil War, a strong supporter of women's rights. He sought not just suffrage for women but their right to be free from the "sexual slavery" he believed marriage entailed. Together with his wife Angela, he published a journal and pamphlets that advocated free love and birth control. In doing so, he knowingly violated federal obscenity laws. He paid for his beliefs with his own freedom, spending two years at hard labor in a Dedham jail. no 0:01:00 Free Love Supporters Protest at Faneuil Hall: August 1, 1878 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=222 On this day in 1876, Congress established at New Bedford the first School of Instruction to train officers for the Revenue Service. The Service traced its history back to 1790 when Congress decided it needed to ensure that vessels entering United States ports paid tariffs on their cargo. In other words, they wanted to prevent widespread smuggling. Over the years, the Revenue Service took on additional responsibilities -- protecting American ships from pirates, intercepting slavers after the Atlantic slave trade was banned, and assisting vessels in distress. In 1915 it merged with the Life-Saving Service and was renamed the United States Coast Guard. At that point the School of Instruction became the Coast Guard Academy, which has been located in New London, Connecticut, since 1910. ]]> 31 Jul 2010 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=222 On this day in 1876, Congress established at New Bedford the first School of Instruction to train officers for the Revenue Service. The Service traced its history back to 1790 when Congress decided it needed to ensure that vessels entering United States ports paid tariffs on their cargo. In other words, they wanted to prevent widespread smuggling. Over the years, the Revenue Service took on additional responsibilities -- protecting American ships from pirates, intercepting slavers after the Atlantic slave trade was banned, and assisting vessels in distress. In 1915 it merged with the Life-Saving Service and was renamed the United States Coast Guard. At that point the School of Instruction became the Coast Guard Academy, which has been located in New London, Connecticut, since 1910. no 0:01:00 Revenue Cutter Service School Established in New Bedford: July 31, 1876 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=221 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 medieval stonemasons' guilds. Members pledged to be true to each other, to God, and to their king. However, a number of Masons -- including George Washington, John Hancock, and Paul Revere -- played major roles in the Revolution. Long associated with secret rituals and symbols, Freemasons are now more open about their mission of self-improvement and service to the community. Still all-male, the society today has 6,000,000 members around the world;2,000,000 live in the United States, 50,000 in Massachusetts. ]]> 30 Jul 2010 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=221 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 medieval stonemasons' guilds. Members pledged to be true to each other, to God, and to their king. However, a number of Masons -- including George Washington, John Hancock, and Paul Revere -- played major roles in the Revolution. Long associated with secret rituals and symbols, Freemasons are now more open about their mission of self-improvement and service to the community. Still all-male, the society today has 6,000,000 members around the world;2,000,000 live in the United States, 50,000 in Massachusetts. no 0:01:00 Boston Masons Organize First Grand Lodge in America: July 30, 1733 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=220 On this day in 1911, Foster Furcolo was born in New Haven. Raised in Connecticut and educated at Yale, Furcolo moved to Springfield after World War II. In 1948 he won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He served one term in Congress before being elected the first Italian-American governor of Massachusetts. Other Italian-Americans followed him into state government, including two more governors, John Volpe and Paul Cellucci. At a political gathering in 2005, with the newly elected Senate President Robert Travaglini and Speaker of the House Salvatore DiMasi in attendance, a legislator was heard to remark, "The Italians are taking over. . . . It's never been better . . . But I'm not talking about politics, I'm talking about the food." ]]> 29 Jul 2010 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=220 On this day in 1911, Foster Furcolo was born in New Haven. Raised in Connecticut and educated at Yale, Furcolo moved to Springfield after World War II. In 1948 he won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He served one term in Congress before being elected the first Italian-American governor of Massachusetts. Other Italian-Americans followed him into state government, including two more governors, John Volpe and Paul Cellucci. At a political gathering in 2005, with the newly elected Senate President Robert Travaglini and Speaker of the House Salvatore DiMasi in attendance, a legislator was heard to remark, "The Italians are taking over. . . . It's never been better . . . But I'm not talking about politics, I'm talking about the food." no 0:01:00 Foster Furcolo, State's First Italian American Governor, Born: July 29, 1911 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=219 On this day in 1907, Earl Tupper, inventor of Tupperware, was born. Raised in central Massachusetts, birthplace of the plastics industry, he was a compulsive tinkerer, inventing, among hundreds of other things, a fish-powered boat. When none of his ventures succeeded, he took a job in a Leominster plastics factory and in 1938 founded his own company. After much trial and error, he came up with the "wonderbowl," which had an airtight "burping" seal. Sales did not take off until a woman named Brownie Wise persuaded him that Tupperware should be sold where it could be demonstrated -- at home parties. Thanks to the quality of the product and Brownie Wise's success at mobilizing a sales force of "Tupperware Ladies," the Massachusetts-based company spawned a global enterprise. ]]> 28 Jul 2010 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=219 On this day in 1907, Earl Tupper, inventor of Tupperware, was born. Raised in central Massachusetts, birthplace of the plastics industry, he was a compulsive tinkerer, inventing, among hundreds of other things, a fish-powered boat. When none of his ventures succeeded, he took a job in a Leominster plastics factory and in 1938 founded his own company. After much trial and error, he came up with the "wonderbowl," which had an airtight "burping" seal. Sales did not take off until a woman named Brownie Wise persuaded him that Tupperware should be sold where it could be demonstrated -- at home parties. Thanks to the quality of the product and Brownie Wise's success at mobilizing a sales force of "Tupperware Ladies," the Massachusetts-based company spawned a global enterprise. no 0:01:00 Tupperware Inventor Born: July 28, 1907 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=218 On this day in 1694, Abenaki warriors raided the frontier town of Groton, on the western edge of Middlesex County. Striking at daybreak, they killed 20 people and took 12 captives, most of them children. More than 1,600 New Englanders were "carried off" by Native Americans between 1677 and 1763, when the Treaty of Paris brought the French and Indian wars to a close. Some captives were freed or exchanged; some were compelled or chose to remain with the Indians. The fate of many will never be known. One victim of the Groton raid, John Shepley, spent four years as a captive in Canada before returning home. He survived a second Abenaki attack on the town in the summer of 1704. ]]> 27 Jul 2010 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=218 On this day in 1694, Abenaki warriors raided the frontier town of Groton, on the western edge of Middlesex County. Striking at daybreak, they killed 20 people and took 12 captives, most of them children. More than 1,600 New Englanders were "carried off" by Native Americans between 1677 and 1763, when the Treaty of Paris brought the French and Indian wars to a close. Some captives were freed or exchanged; some were compelled or chose to remain with the Indians. The fate of many will never be known. One victim of the Groton raid, John Shepley, spent four years as a captive in Canada before returning home. He survived a second Abenaki attack on the town in the summer of 1704. no 0:01:00 Abenaki Warriors Attack Groton: July 27, 1694 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=217 On this day in 1940, Sergei Koussevitzky celebrated his 66th birthday with the first class to graduate from the Berkshire Music Center in Lenox. The school was adjacent to Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Russian-born Koussevitzky, the BSO's legendary conductor, was the guiding spirit behind both institutions. He first brought the BSO to Tanglewood in the summer of 1936 and soon after persuaded the trustees to build the now-famous Music Shed. Two years later, he founded the Music Center so that gifted young people such as Leonard Bernstein could learn from older masters. Nearly 70 years later, Tanglewood is one of the foremost summer music festivals in the world, drawing 350,000 concertgoers a season. ]]> 26 Jul 2010 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=217 On this day in 1940, Sergei Koussevitzky celebrated his 66th birthday with the first class to graduate from the Berkshire Music Center in Lenox. The school was adjacent to Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Russian-born Koussevitzky, the BSO's legendary conductor, was the guiding spirit behind both institutions. He first brought the BSO to Tanglewood in the summer of 1936 and soon after persuaded the trustees to build the now-famous Music Shed. Two years later, he founded the Music Center so that gifted young people such as Leonard Bernstein could learn from older masters. Nearly 70 years later, Tanglewood is one of the foremost summer music festivals in the world, drawing 350,000 concertgoers a season. no 0:01:00 BSO Conductor Celebrates Birthday at Tanglewood: July 26, 1940