http://www.massmoments.org/ A daily almanac of Massachusetts history 1440 Copyright 2006 Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities TheOtherRoom.com CFML RSS Generator Fri, 10 Oct 2008 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 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=293 On this day in 1804, a "snow hurricane" struck Massachusetts. The storm began with winds so powerful that whole forests were leveled. Houses, barns, chimneys, and church steeples came crashing down. Even when the wind subsided, it continued to snow. As much as two feet fell in some places. Fruit was blown off trees and potatoes froze in the ground. Hundreds of cattle, sheep, and poultry died. Ships at anchor collided with each other and nearby wharves, killing the men on board. So many oaks and pines were lost that it was decades before the state's shipbuilding industry recovered. In some parts of Massachusetts, the storm changed the landscape so dramatically that people felt as though they were suddenly living in a new and unfamiliar place. 10 Oct 2008 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=293 On this day in 1804, a "snow hurricane" struck Massachusetts. The storm began with winds so powerful that whole forests were leveled. Houses, barns, chimneys, and church steeples came crashing down. Even when the wind subsided, it continued to snow. As much as two feet fell in some places. Fruit was blown off trees and potatoes froze in the ground. Hundreds of cattle, sheep, and poultry died. Ships at anchor collided with each other and nearby wharves, killing the men on board. So many oaks and pines were lost that it was decades before the state's shipbuilding industry recovered. In some parts of Massachusetts, the storm changed the landscape so dramatically that people felt as though they were suddenly living in a new and unfamiliar place. no 0:01:00 "Snow Hurricane" Hits Massachusetts: October 10, 1804 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=292 On this day in 1635, Puritan minister Roger Williams was found guilty of spreading "newe & dangerous opinions" and banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Before leaving England in 1630, Williams had seen heretics whipped, imprisoned, and burned at the stake. He called for religious freedom, a serious threat to the social order, and avoided arrest only by fleeing to Boston. Once in Massachusetts, he began preaching religious tolerance. The colony's leaders agreed with the English authorities that this was nothing less than "Satan's Policy." They denounced his views and forced him out of the colony. He took refuge with the Narragansett Indians, whose chiefs sold land to him and his followers. They established a new settlement and named it Providence, in thanksgiving to God. 09 Oct 2008 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=292 On this day in 1635, Puritan minister Roger Williams was found guilty of spreading "newe & dangerous opinions" and banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Before leaving England in 1630, Williams had seen heretics whipped, imprisoned, and burned at the stake. He called for religious freedom, a serious threat to the social order, and avoided arrest only by fleeing to Boston. Once in Massachusetts, he began preaching religious tolerance. The colony's leaders agreed with the English authorities that this was nothing less than "Satan's Policy." They denounced his views and forced him out of the colony. He took refuge with the Narragansett Indians, whose chiefs sold land to him and his followers. They established a new settlement and named it Providence, in thanksgiving to God. no 0:01:00 Roger Williams Banished: October 9, 1635 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=291 On this day in 1860, Boston newspapers carried an advertisement for an extraordinary event: photographer James Wallace Black would photograph Boston from a hot-air balloon hovering over the city. Black accomplished this well-publicized feat five days later, and the Boston Herald soon printed the nation's first-ever birds' eye view of the earth below. It was the first aerial image taken in the United States, the first aerial image of a city anywhere, and is the oldest aerial image known to survive. While the public marveled, the United States Army was quick to see the military value of Black's stunt. Union photographers in hot air balloons were soon tracking Confederate troop movements, providing the world's first aerial reconnaissance. 08 Oct 2008 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=291 On this day in 1860, Boston newspapers carried an advertisement for an extraordinary event: photographer James Wallace Black would photograph Boston from a hot-air balloon hovering over the city. Black accomplished this well-publicized feat five days later, and the Boston Herald soon printed the nation's first-ever birds' eye view of the earth below. It was the first aerial image taken in the United States, the first aerial image of a city anywhere, and is the oldest aerial image known to survive. While the public marveled, the United States Army was quick to see the military value of Black's stunt. Union photographers in hot air balloons were soon tracking Confederate troop movements, providing the world's first aerial reconnaissance. no 0:01:00 Balloonist Takes First Aerial Photograph: October 8, 1860 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=290 On this day in 1872, a crowd of 10,000 climbed to the top of Captain's Hill in Duxbury to watch the cornerstone being laid for the Myles Standish Monument. Military leader of the Plymouth Colony, Standish became a popular national hero when Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published his fictionalized poem, "The Courtship of Myles Standish," in 1858. The Massachusetts state government and private individuals, including President Ulysses S. Grant, contributed to the memorial. It took 28 years to raise all the money needed. When it was finally finished in 1898, the 116-foot tall shaft, with a 14-foot statue of Standish at the top, was rivaled only by the Washington Memorial as a U.S. monument to an individual citizen. 07 Oct 2008 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=290 On this day in 1872, a crowd of 10,000 climbed to the top of Captain's Hill in Duxbury to watch the cornerstone being laid for the Myles Standish Monument. Military leader of the Plymouth Colony, Standish became a popular national hero when Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published his fictionalized poem, "The Courtship of Myles Standish," in 1858. The Massachusetts state government and private individuals, including President Ulysses S. Grant, contributed to the memorial. It took 28 years to raise all the money needed. When it was finally finished in 1898, the 116-foot tall shaft, with a 14-foot statue of Standish at the top, was rivaled only by the Washington Memorial as a U.S. monument to an individual citizen. no 0:01:00 Duxbury Dedicates Standish Monument: October 7, 1872 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=289 On this day in 1928, after a bitter six-month strike, the members of New Bedford's Textile Council voted to accept a compromise offer. Faced with overproduction and falling profits, the mill owners had imposed a ten percent pay cut. Both the moderate Textile Council, to which skilled mill workers belonged, and the radical Textile Mill Committee, which included many unskilled immigrant laborers, responded by going out on strike. At first, the strike felt like a holiday. But as the months passed, and strikers faced a hungry winter, pressure increased to settle. In late September, the mill owners proposed a five percent cut. Although only members of the Textile Committee were permitted to cast votes, their acceptance of the deal brought an end to the strike. 06 Oct 2008 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=289 On this day in 1928, after a bitter six-month strike, the members of New Bedford's Textile Council voted to accept a compromise offer. Faced with overproduction and falling profits, the mill owners had imposed a ten percent pay cut. Both the moderate Textile Council, to which skilled mill workers belonged, and the radical Textile Mill Committee, which included many unskilled immigrant laborers, responded by going out on strike. At first, the strike felt like a holiday. But as the months passed, and strikers faced a hungry winter, pressure increased to settle. In late September, the mill owners proposed a five percent cut. Although only members of the Textile Committee were permitted to cast votes, their acceptance of the deal brought an end to the strike. no 0:01:00 New Bedford Strikers Cast Vote: October 6, 1928 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=288 On this day in 1951, Shoppers' World in Framingham opened for business. The first suburban shopping mall in the Northeast, and only the second in the country, the complex was a revolutionary design. Anchored by a branch of Boston's Jordan Marsh Department Store -- housed under a futuristic "space age" dome -- the mall was a sign of things to come. Over the next decades, retailers would concentrate their investment in auto-friendly malls in the suburbs rather than downtown shopping areas. With its large middle class and new housing developments, Framingham was an ideal location for this new style of shopping. Eventually the original Shoppers' World design would become dated, and in 1994, over the protests of preservationists, the landmark was demolished. 05 Oct 2008 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=288 On this day in 1951, Shoppers' World in Framingham opened for business. The first suburban shopping mall in the Northeast, and only the second in the country, the complex was a revolutionary design. Anchored by a branch of Boston's Jordan Marsh Department Store -- housed under a futuristic "space age" dome -- the mall was a sign of things to come. Over the next decades, retailers would concentrate their investment in auto-friendly malls in the suburbs rather than downtown shopping areas. With its large middle class and new housing developments, Framingham was an ideal location for this new style of shopping. Eventually the original Shoppers' World design would become dated, and in 1994, over the protests of preservationists, the landmark was demolished. no 0:01:00 Shoppers' World Launches Mall Era: October 5, 1951 http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=287 On this day in 2002, a statue was installed in Florence, a village of Northampton, to honor Sojourner Truth, the former slave best known for the "Ain't I a Woman" speech she delivered in 1851. Arriving in Northampton in the winter of 1843, she joined the Association of Education and Industry, a communally run farm and silk factory. It was here she encountered the anti-slavery movement for the first time and began her career as an eloquent spokesperson for abolitionism, woman's rights, and temperance. It was here, too, that her autobiography, Narrative of Sojourner Truth, was written. When the Association dissolved in 1846, she used the proceeds from her book to buy a house in Northampton. She lived there for the next ten years. 04 Oct 2008 04:00:00 EST http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=287 On this day in 2002, a statue was installed in Florence, a village of Northampton, to honor Sojourner Truth, the former slave best known for the "Ain't I a Woman" speech she delivered in 1851. Arriving in Northampton in the winter of 1843, she joined the Association of Education and Industry, a communally run farm and silk factory. It was here she encountered the anti-slavery movement for the first time and began her career as an eloquent spokesperson for abolitionism, woman's rights, and temperance. It was here, too, that her autobiography, Narrative of Sojourner Truth, was written. When the Association dissolved in 1846, she used the proceeds from her book to buy a house in Northampton. She lived there for the next ten years. no 0:01:00 Northampton Dedicates Sojourner Truth Statue: October 4, 2002