Every Day Is Special: Massachusetts

Showing posts with label Massachusetts. Show all posts

April 15 - One Boston Day

Posted on April 15, 2018

Today is the anniversary of a tragedy:

On this date in 2013, three innocent people were killed while watching the Boston Marathon, and many more people were injured or maimed, by a double-bombing. This act of terror was meant to affect the entire community of Boston and perhaps the entire nation.

But Boston responded to the horrific event with strength.

Resiliency.

Courage.

Generosity.

And it is those things that One Boston Day celebrates, even as it continues to mourn the victims. Boston residents also take this day as a time to remember the support and encouragement they received from people all over the nation and world.

How is One Boston Day celebrated? A variety of organizations are planning events and projects - from a sneaker drive and neighborhood clean-up to a blood drive and "painting for peace."

Find out more at this official website.

What can you do?

Volunteer to do something for your own community.

Also on this date:

Jackie Robinson Day

Artist and polymath Leonardo da Vinci's birthday

World Art Day

Mathematician Leonhard Euler's birthday

Comic book pioneer Wilhelm Busch's birthday

National El Paso Horse Competition in Peru

Rubber Eraser Day

Anniversary of the declaration of Melaka as a historical city

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

March 17 - Evacuation Day in Boston

Posted on March 17, 2018

Today's holiday celebrates the day in 1776 when the British "Redcoats" left (or evacuated) the city of Boston, during the Revolutionary War.

It's a happy coincidence that today is also St. Patrick's Day - because many folks living in Boston (and other places in Suffolk County, which also celebrate Evacuation Day) have Irish ancestors - and St. Patty's is the day when many people in the U.S. (and, to some extent, the world) celebrate all things Irish.

Here's a challenge: Which one of these three photos of Boston on March 17 show people celebrating Evacuation Day, rather than St. Pat's?

Evacuation Day commemorates the first big win for the Americans in the Revolutionary War. Here's how that went down:

The American soldiers distracted the Brits' attention by lobbing shells at them. Of course, the Redcoats returned the favor and lobbed shells back. But while they were busy with that, another portion of the American army fortified the high points of Dorchester Heights with cannons aimed at the British army - and the British fleet.

Apparently, the British woke up one of those mornings long ago to realize that a bunch of big guns were pointing down at them - and they ended up taking off...

(I read that a lot of Irish-American people in this region can proudly boast that their ancestors helped beat back the British, that long-ago March. So they get to celebrate their Irish culture AND their ancestors' courage and military service.)

Here is another Evacuation Day - this one celebrated in NYC.

Also on this date:

Anniversary of a power couple's wedding

Anniversary of Van Gogh's paintings making a hit

Anniversary of the patent of the rubber band

Saint Patrick's Day and

more Saint Patricks Day!

The Announcement of Californium

Camp Fire Girls and Boys Founder Day

National Quilting Day

(Third Saturday of March)

Corn Dog Day

(Third Saturday of March)

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

February 6 - Massachusetts's Statehood!

Posted on February 6, 2018

Massachusetts is one of the biggies in our nation's early history:

The first British colony in New England, with the famous 1620 arrival of the "Pilgrims" on the Mayflower (and the later first Thanksgiving)...

Location of one of the worst cases of mass hysteria, the Salem witch trials and wrongful executions...

The center of a movement for independence from Britain, site of the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the first battles of the American Revolutionary War at Lexington and Concord...

Home of such Revolutionary heroes as Sam Adams and such Founding Fathers as Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Hancock...

Yet it wasn't the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution; instead, it was the sixth, on this date in 1788.

More cool stuff about Massachusetts:

Birthplace of four U.S. presidents: John Adams, John Q. Adams, John F. Kennedy, and George H.W. Bush...

Oldest university in the U.S. (Harvard), the largest endowment of any university (Harvard), and two of the most respected universities in the world (Harvard and MIT)...