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First Newspaper Published in the Colonies
First Newspaper Published in the Colonies
On this day in 1690, Boston printer Benjamin Harris produced the first issue of Publick Occurrences, the first newspaper published in Britain's North American colonies. Readers were enthusiastic, but the governor was not. Under British...
Jury Decides in Favor of Elizabeth "Mum Bett" Freeman
Jury Decides in Favor of Elizabeth "Mum Bett" Freeman
On this day in 1781, a jury in Great Barrington found in favor of "Mum Bett," a black woman who had been a slave in the home of Colonel John Ashley for at least 30...
Perkins School for the Blind Incorporated
Perkins School for the Blind Incorporated
On this day in 1829, the New England Asylum for the Blind was incorporated in Boston. The institution opened with six students, but within six years, it had ten times that number. For the first time, blind...
Samuel Adams Dies
Samuel Adams Dies
On this day in 1803, the fiery patriot Samuel Adams died at the age of 81. A complete failure as a businessman, he was a brilliant political organizer, a talented writer, and a passionate public...
Robert Frost Dies
Robert Frost Dies
On this day in 1963, Robert Frost died, the most popular and renowned American poet of the twentieth century. But his success was a long time in coming. It was as a student at Lawrence...
First National Woman's Rights Convention Ends in Worcester
First National Woman's Rights Convention Ends in Worcester
On this day in 1850, the first national convention for woman's rights concluded in Worcester. For two days, more than 1,000 delegates from 11 different states had filled Brinley Hall to overflowing. Speakers, most of...
Nation's First Country Club Established
Nation's First Country Club Established
On this day in 1882, a group of men from the social elite of Boston formally established The Country Club of Brookline, the first such club in the United States. Only four miles from the...
Phillis Wheatley Arrives in Boston
Phillis Wheatley Arrives in Boston
On this day in 1761, a girl from West Africa arrived in Boston, enslaved with 74 other people on the ship Phillis. John Wheatley, a successful merchant, purchased her and named her Phillis, after the...
Angelina Grimke Addresses Legislature
Angelina Grimke Addresses Legislature
On this day in 1838 a woman addressed a legislative body for the first time in American history. An overflow crowd gathered at the State House in Boston as Angelina Grimké, daughter of a South...
Boston Mob Protests Stamp Act
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...