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Angelina Grimke Addresses Legislature

February 21, 1838
February 21, 1838

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...

Abbie Hoffman Dies

April 12, 1989
April 12, 1989

Abbie Hoffman Dies

On this day in 1989, Worcester native Abbie Hoffman died from a drug overdose. A hero of the 1960s counter culture, Hoffman once told a reporter, "I never left Worcester." He was 30 when he...

First Newspaper Published in the Colonies

September 25, 1690
September 25, 1690

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...

Samuel Adams Dies

October 2, 1803
October 2, 1803

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...

Jury Decides in Favor of Elizabeth "Mum Bett" Freeman

August 22, 1781
August 22, 1781

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...

Holyoke Man Invents Volleyball

February 9, 1895
February 9, 1895

Holyoke Man Invents Volleyball

On this day in 1895, a new game was first played at the YMCA in Holyoke. Many of the men who came to the Y were excited about another new game, basketball, but the Holyoke...

Robert Frost Dies

January 29, 1963
January 29, 1963

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

October 24, 1850
October 24, 1850

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

January 14, 1882
January 14, 1882

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

July 11, 1761
July 11, 1761

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...

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