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Hasty Pudding Club Forms at Harvard

September 8, 1795
September 8, 1795

Hasty Pudding Club Forms at Harvard

On this day in 1795, 21 Harvard students gathered in a dorm room and formed a secret social club to cultivate "friendship and patriotism." Members agreed to take turns providing a pot of hasty pudding...

Islamic Society Breaks Ground in Roxbury

November 7, 2002
November 7, 2002

Islamic Society Breaks Ground in Roxbury

On this day in 2002, the Islamic Society of Boston held a ceremonial groundbreaking in Roxbury for New England's largest mosque and Islamic cultural center. The Society had grown from a handful of Cambridge-based students...

Amherst's Troops Camp on Boston Common

September 18, 1758
September 18, 1758

Amherst's Troops Camp on Boston Common

On this day in 1758, 4,500 British troops under the command of Jeffrey Amherst camped on Boston Common before setting off to fight the French. Newly promoted to Major-General, Amherst had recently engineered an important...

Springfield Dedicates Memorial to Dr. Seuss

May 31, 2002
May 31, 2002

Springfield Dedicates Memorial to Dr. Seuss

On this day in 2002, Springfield celebrated the completion of a memorial to a hometown hero, Dr. Seuss. Located in the Library and Museum Quadrangle is a bronze sculpture garden peopled with characters from Dr....

Bedford Responds to "Boston Pamphlet"

March 1, 1773
March 1, 1773

Bedford Responds to "Boston Pamphlet"

On this day in 1773, the town of Bedford held its annual meeting. Along with the routine matters to be addressed, there was one unusual item of business. The Town Meeting was asked to decide...

Children's Cancer Research Foundation Incorporated

June 8, 1951
June 8, 1951

Children's Cancer Research Foundation Incorporated

On this day in 1951 the Children's Cancer Research Foundation was incorporated. Founded by pioneering Boston physician Sidney Farber, it was the first cancer center in the country designed specifically for children. In the days...

Congress Designates Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor

November 10, 1986
November 10, 1986

Congress Designates Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor

On this day in 1986, Congress designated the historic Blackstone River Valley a National Heritage Corridor. Running from Worcester to Providence, the Blackstone Valley lays claim to being the birthplace of the industrial revolution in...

George Peabody Thanks Danvers

November 30, 1853
November 30, 1853

George Peabody Thanks Danvers

On this day in 1853, George Peabody thanked the citizens of South Danvers for naming the high school in his honor and immediately set up a $200 account "to be expended as rewards of merit...

Rep. Edith Nourse Rogers Dies

September 10, 1960
September 10, 1960

Rep. Edith Nourse Rogers Dies

On this day in 1960, Representative Edith Nourse Rogers died of a heart attack in a Boston hospital, just three days before the end of her nineteenth campaign. The longest-serving woman in congressional history, she...

John Updike Elected to National Institute of Arts and Letters

April 1, 1964
April 1, 1964

John Updike Elected to National Institute of Arts and Letters

On this day in 1964, John Updike was at 32 the youngest person elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters. Updike wrote more than 60 books — novels, poetry, drama, essays, memoirs, and...

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