http://www.massmoments.org/ A daily almanac of Massachusetts history 1440 Copyright 2006 Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities TheOtherRoom.com CFML RSS Generator Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:00:00 EST en-us Visitors of Mass Moments--a daily almanac of Massachusetts history--can learn more about the Moments presented on the radio, see images and illustrations, read a primary source document, and get suggestions of links to follow and places to visit. Additionally, they can view a timeline to see when a given Moment occurred, and where applicable, a map to see where it happened. Visitors are invited to comment or ask questions about a Moment on our message board, thus providing an on-line community where Bay State history enthusiasts can meet and discuss our past. They can sign up to receive Mass Moments daily in their email, and if they post a question to the message board, they can be notified when someone has responded. Past Moments (those posted since January 1, 2005) are searchable, by key words, subject, time period, and region. A daily almanac of Massachusetts history. Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities Massachusetts almanac, radio program, eMoment, eMoments, Massachusetts history, Bay State, Western Mass, MA, Eastern Mass, Boston, Mass Moments, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, daily history, this day in history, today's history, today in history no http://www.massmoments.org/rss/images/mass_moments_75.jpg http://www.massmoments.org/ info@massmoments.org Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=77 On this day in 1888, ordinary life in Massachusetts came to a standstill. One of the most destructive blizzards ever to strike the East Coast raged for 36 hours. Called "the White Hurricane," the storm produced a combination of blinding snow, deep drifts, driving wind, and severe cold. Big cities were especially hard hit. In Springfield, Worcester, and Boston, food supplies soon ran low. So did heat, for most homes were warmed by coal-fired stoves. Coal moved by rail, and trains were not moving. The disruption caused by the storm persuaded city officials to invest in underground utilities and transportation. The Boston subway system, the nation's first, was one positive outcome of the Blizzard of 1888. ]]> 11 Mar 2010 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=77 On this day in 1888, ordinary life in Massachusetts came to a standstill. One of the most destructive blizzards ever to strike the East Coast raged for 36 hours. Called "the White Hurricane," the storm produced a combination of blinding snow, deep drifts, driving wind, and severe cold. Big cities were especially hard hit. In Springfield, Worcester, and Boston, food supplies soon ran low. So did heat, for most homes were warmed by coal-fired stoves. Coal moved by rail, and trains were not moving. The disruption caused by the storm persuaded city officials to invest in underground utilities and transportation. The Boston subway system, the nation's first, was one positive outcome of the Blizzard of 1888. no 0:01:00 Blizzard Shuts Down Massachusetts: March 11, 1888 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=75 On this day in 1965, a white minister from Boston lay near death in an Alabama hospital. As James Reeb's life slipped away, his story was in every morning paper and on every evening news program. Deeply committed to the non-violent struggle for civil rights, he had gone to Selma, Alabama, in response to an appeal from Martin Luther King, Jr. On March 9th, he was viciously attacked by men opposed to civil rights. When Reeb died two days later at the age of 38, President Lyndon Johnson called it "an American tragedy." His death helped turn the tide of public opinion in favor of federal legislation to guarantee voting rights for the country's black citizens. ]]> 10 Mar 2010 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=75 On this day in 1965, a white minister from Boston lay near death in an Alabama hospital. As James Reeb's life slipped away, his story was in every morning paper and on every evening news program. Deeply committed to the non-violent struggle for civil rights, he had gone to Selma, Alabama, in response to an appeal from Martin Luther King, Jr. On March 9th, he was viciously attacked by men opposed to civil rights. When Reeb died two days later at the age of 38, President Lyndon Johnson called it "an American tragedy." His death helped turn the tide of public opinion in favor of federal legislation to guarantee voting rights for the country's black citizens. no 0:01:00 James Reeb Dies in Alabama: March 10, 1965 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=76 On this day in 1704, the town of Newbury voted to pay a bounty to men who had killed two wolves on Plum Island. The wolves were a threat to the cattle, sheep, and pigs grazing on the island. In summer, farmers from nearby towns used the meadows for pasture; in winter, they fed their livestock salt hay harvested from the island's abundant marshes. Although Plum Island was rich in natural resources, the harsh winter weather meant that there were few year-round residents. When accommodations were built for summer visitors, development seemed inevitable. But then a group of bird lovers began buying and preserving land. Because of their efforts, Plum Island is today one of the top 10 birding areas in the United States. ]]> 09 Mar 2010 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=76 On this day in 1704, the town of Newbury voted to pay a bounty to men who had killed two wolves on Plum Island. The wolves were a threat to the cattle, sheep, and pigs grazing on the island. In summer, farmers from nearby towns used the meadows for pasture; in winter, they fed their livestock salt hay harvested from the island's abundant marshes. Although Plum Island was rich in natural resources, the harsh winter weather meant that there were few year-round residents. When accommodations were built for summer visitors, development seemed inevitable. But then a group of bird lovers began buying and preserving land. Because of their efforts, Plum Island is today one of the top 10 birding areas in the United States. no 0:01:00 Newbury Offers Wolf Bounty: March 9, 1704 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=74 On this day in 1870, a shy but determined woman from Hatfield willed that her fortune be used to establish a women's college in Northampton. The first woman in America to endow a college for women, Sophia Smith was not a social crusader, but she did believe that women's power for good would "be incalculably enlarged" by higher education. Like other women's colleges, Smith was considered a dangerous experiment. Many people feared that rigorous study would endanger women's health and their prospects for marriage. In 1876, at the close of the college's first year, all 14 of the students were reported to be in good health. Equally important, they had "accomplished as much work as in a college attended only by males." ]]> 08 Mar 2010 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=74 On this day in 1870, a shy but determined woman from Hatfield willed that her fortune be used to establish a women's college in Northampton. The first woman in America to endow a college for women, Sophia Smith was not a social crusader, but she did believe that women's power for good would "be incalculably enlarged" by higher education. Like other women's colleges, Smith was considered a dangerous experiment. Many people feared that rigorous study would endanger women's health and their prospects for marriage. In 1876, at the close of the college's first year, all 14 of the students were reported to be in good health. Equally important, they had "accomplished as much work as in a college attended only by males." no 0:01:00 Sophia Smith Endows New Women's College: March 8, 1870 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=73 On this day in 1876, Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for the telephone. Born in Scotland, Bell settled in Boston when he was in his early 20s. He made his living as a teacher of the deaf; on the side he tinkered with transmitters and electromagnets. In the summer of 1876, Bell gave the first public demonstration of the "electrical speech machine" he had invented. A few months later he achieved his ultimate goal: transmitting and receiving spoken words over a telephone line. When Bell died on August 2, 1922, the nation's telephones went silent for one minute in a fitting tribute to a man who had done so much to further oral communication. ]]> 07 Mar 2010 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=73 On this day in 1876, Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for the telephone. Born in Scotland, Bell settled in Boston when he was in his early 20s. He made his living as a teacher of the deaf; on the side he tinkered with transmitters and electromagnets. In the summer of 1876, Bell gave the first public demonstration of the "electrical speech machine" he had invented. A few months later he achieved his ultimate goal: transmitting and receiving spoken words over a telephone line. When Bell died on August 2, 1922, the nation's telephones went silent for one minute in a fitting tribute to a man who had done so much to further oral communication. no 0:01:00 Alexander Graham Bell Receives First Patent: March 7, 1876 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=72 On this day in 1930, shoppers in Springfield became the first Americans to find frozen food in their grocery stores. A test marketing program was designed to see if people would buy frozen food. And buy it they did. Within a few years, Americans would think nothing of eating fresh-tasting peas in December. The transformation of the American diet was due to the intellectual curiosity and entrepreneurial genius of the man whose name was, and still is, on the package--Clarence Birdseye. A largely self-taught naturalist, he spent five years as a fur trapper in Labrador. He summed up his achievement by saying he had simply taken "Eskimo knowledge and the scientists' theories and adapted them to quantity production." ]]> 06 Mar 2010 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=72 On this day in 1930, shoppers in Springfield became the first Americans to find frozen food in their grocery stores. A test marketing program was designed to see if people would buy frozen food. And buy it they did. Within a few years, Americans would think nothing of eating fresh-tasting peas in December. The transformation of the American diet was due to the intellectual curiosity and entrepreneurial genius of the man whose name was, and still is, on the package--Clarence Birdseye. A largely self-taught naturalist, he spent five years as a fur trapper in Labrador. He summed up his achievement by saying he had simply taken "Eskimo knowledge and the scientists' theories and adapted them to quantity production." no 0:01:00 Clarence Birdseye Tests Frozen Food: March 6, 1930 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=71 On this day in 1770, Crispus Attucks, a black man from Framingham, and four other civilians were shot dead by British soldiers. Attucks worked on whaling ships and, between voyages, as a semi-skilled laborer around the port of Boston. There were many men--white and black--who resented the presence of the British Army, not so much as a threat to their rights as self-governing citizens but more as a threat to their already precarious economic position. They were ready to follow Attucks when he led them into a violent confrontation with a group of British Regulars. Although the soldiers were acquitted on the grounds of self-defense, the incident has been known ever since as the Boston Massacre. ]]> 05 Mar 2010 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=71 On this day in 1770, Crispus Attucks, a black man from Framingham, and four other civilians were shot dead by British soldiers. Attucks worked on whaling ships and, between voyages, as a semi-skilled laborer around the port of Boston. There were many men--white and black--who resented the presence of the British Army, not so much as a threat to their rights as self-governing citizens but more as a threat to their already precarious economic position. They were ready to follow Attucks when he led them into a violent confrontation with a group of British Regulars. Although the soldiers were acquitted on the grounds of self-defense, the incident has been known ever since as the Boston Massacre. no 0:01:00 Five Die in Boston Massacre: March 5, 1770