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Fannie Farmer Cookbook Published

January 7, 1896
January 7, 1896

Fannie Farmer Cookbook Published

On this day in 1896, the first edition of the Boston Cooking-School Cookbook was published. Later known as the Fannie Farmer Cookbook, the book was the work of Fannie Farmer, born in Boston and raised...

Kerouac Writes First Novel

March 23, 1948
March 23, 1948

Kerouac Writes First Novel

On this day in 1948, Lowell native Jack Kerouac happily noted in his diary that he had written 2500 words. If he could keep up this pace, he would finish his first novel in a...

Jonathan Edwards Ordained

February 5, 1727
February 5, 1727

Jonathan Edwards Ordained

On this day in 1727, Jonathan Edwards was ordained in Northampton. Two years later, he succeeded his grandfather as minister of what was then the largest and most influential church outside of Boston. He was...

Pitcher Cy Young Dies

November 4, 1955
November 4, 1955

Pitcher Cy Young Dies

On this day in 1955, legendary pitcher Cy Young died. He spent much of his 22-year career in Boston, arriving in 1901 to play for the new American League team that would become the Red...

Brownies Take a Winter Swim

January 1, 1904
January 1, 1904

Brownies Take a Winter Swim

On this day in 1904, the L Street Brownies held their first New Year's Day swim in Boston Harbor. Every year since then, a crowd of swimmers and an even larger crowd of onlookers has...

Isaac Asimov Born

January 2, 1920
January 2, 1920

Isaac Asimov Born

On this day in 1920, Isaac Asimov was born. He grew up in New York, but it was during his two decades in Boston that he made his name as a master of science fiction....

Boston Mob Protests Stamp Act

August 14, 1765
August 14, 1765

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...

Isaiah Thomas Born

January 19, 1749
January 19, 1749

Isaiah Thomas Born

On this day in 1749, the Patriot printer Isaiah Thomas was born. In 1770, Thomas established the Massachusetts Spy, the first newspaper aimed at middle-class readers. While other papers were happy with 400 subscribers, the...

Tip O’Neill Announces Run for Congress

April 16, 1952
April 16, 1952

Tip O’Neill Announces Run for Congress

On this day in 1952, Thomas P. ("Tip") O'Neill of Cambridge announced that he would run for the Congressional seat being vacated by John F. Kennedy as Kennedy began a campaign for the Senate. O'Neill...

Nation's First Subway Opens in Boston

September 1, 1897
September 1, 1897

Nation's First Subway Opens in Boston

On this day in 1897, at 6 am, over 100 people crowded onto the first train to travel through a tunnel under downtown Boston. More than 100,000 people would take the three-and-a-half minute trip that...

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