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Lydia Maria Child Dies

October 20, 1880
October 20, 1880

Lydia Maria Child Dies

On this day in 1880, Lydia Maria Child, whom abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison called "the first woman in the Republic," was buried in Wayland. A successful novelist and magazine editor and the author of a...

First Issue of The Atlantic Monthly Published

November 1, 1857
November 1, 1857

First Issue of The Atlantic Monthly Published

On this day in 1857, the first issue of The Atlantic Monthly magazine was published in Boston. Although none of the articles was signed, most readers easily recognized the work of such New England luminaries...

Mercy Otis Marries James Warren

November 14, 1754
November 14, 1754

Mercy Otis Marries James Warren

On this day in 1754, Mercy Otis of Barnstable and James Warren of Plymouth began their remarkable 54-year partnership. When she married into a family active in public affairs, Mercy embraced the chance to be...

Edward Everett Gives Gettysburg Address

November 19, 1863
November 19, 1863

Edward Everett Gives Gettysburg Address

On this day in 1863, Edward Everett spoke at the dedication of Gettysburg's National Cemetery, giving what is remembered today as the other Gettysburg Address. The Boston orator was the obvious choice for the occasion....

Whaleship Essex Sinks

November 20, 1820
November 20, 1820

Whaleship Essex Sinks

On this day in 1820, an enormous sperm whale rammed and sank the Nantucket whaleship Essex in the heart of the Pacific Ocean. The first mate described the 85-foot whale's unprovoked attack as enraged and...

Eric Carle Museum Opens in Amherst

November 22, 2002
November 22, 2002

Eric Carle Museum Opens in Amherst

On this day in 2002, the nation's first museum of picture book art opened in Amherst. A decade earlier, children's book author and illustrator Eric Carle had visited a picture book museum in Tokyo and...

Longfellow's Wife Dies

November 29, 1835
November 29, 1835

Longfellow's Wife Dies

On this day in 1835, 28-year-old Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was devastated by the death of his beloved young wife, Mary. The couple had been traveling in Europe as the poet prepared to begin teaching literature...

Charles Dickens Begins Second American Tour

December 2, 1867
December 2, 1867

Charles Dickens Begins Second American Tour

On this day in 1867, Charles Dickens began his second American reading tour at Boston's Tremont Temple. An enthusiastic audience, which included literary stars Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Ralph Waldo Emerson, seemed to have forgotten...

Crowd Gathers to Hear Writer Mary Antin

December 8, 1912
December 8, 1912

Crowd Gathers to Hear Writer Mary Antin

On this day in 1912, over 1,000 people gathered at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York to hear Boston writer Mary Antin. She had come to make a plea for more aid to support...

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