Massachusetts Trivia & Tidbits - Page 2

Looking for Massachusetts trivia? Try our list Massachusetts little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

—Harold Stephen Black, born in Leominster (pop. 41,303) in 1898, was a research engineer who invented systems that eliminated feedback distortion from telephone calls. His negative feedback amplifier produced clearer telephone signals, especially over long distances.

first appeared: 1/11/2009

—Boston Rex Sox outfielder Tony Conigliaro, born in Revere (pop. 47,283) in 1945, was the youngest player, at age 20, to lead the American League in home runs, and to hit 100 homers, by age 22. In a 1967 game, Conigliaro was struck by a pitch, which damaged his eyesight and ultimately shortened his career.

first appeared: 12/29/2008

—In a March 31, 1776, letter to her husband, John Adams, Abigail Adams urged him to “remember the ladies” in the new code of laws he was writing as the state representative to the second Continental Congress.

first appeared: 11/30/2008

—In 1676, Mary Rowlandson of Lancaster (pop. 7,380) was ransomed upon “Redemption Rock,” in what would become Princeton (pop. 3,353), from Indian chief King Philip after about 11 weeks in captivity. Her release was negotiated at the flat-topped rock outcropping.

first appeared: 11/16/2008

—King Philip’s War began in 1675 when King Philip—also known as Metacomet—led an attack against residents of Swansea (pop. 15,901) as retaliation for the Plymouth Colony’s execution of three Wampanoag tribe members.

first appeared: 11/2/2008

—The history of what would become National Biscuit Co., now Nabisco, began in 1792 in Newburyport (pop. 17,189) when Pearson & Sons Bakery offered customers “pilot bread,” a sturdy biscuit that would withstand the rigors of sailing ships. They were dubbed “crackers” because of the crackling sound they’d make when a bite was taken.

first appeared: 10/19/2008

—The Holyoke (pop. 39,838) Merry-Go-Round, built between 1927 and 1929 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Co., originally was located in Mountain Park. After the park closed in 1987, community organizers raised nearly $2 million to buy the ride and relocate it to Heritage Park, downtown.

first appeared: 10/5/2008

—Glowing Glory, a 28-foot-wide flag made of fluorescent bulbs in Colrain (pop. 1,813), was the brainchild of Ken Shearer and neon artist Pacifico A. Palumbo as a patriotic response to the 9/11 tragedy and to honor the nation’s military veterans. The fluorescent flag was first lit Nov. 25, 2001, and is visible by car from the Colrain-Shelburne Road.

first appeared: 9/21/2008

—Freed slave Samuel Harrison, a Pittsfield (pop. 45,793) pastor, led a successful fight for equal pay for black soldiers during the Civil War. He was chaplain for the famed Massachusetts 54th regiment, which was depicted in the 1989 film Glory.

first appeared: 9/7/2008

—Boston reputedly holds claim to the first publicly operated ferryboat, which was authorized in 1630.

first appeared: 8/24/2008

—On the first day of operation in 1848, a wooden dam spanning the Connecticut River in Holyoke (pop. 39,838) began to leak as water in the reservoir behind it rose. In less than six hours, the structure was swept away.

first appeared: 8/10/2008

—The Museum of Our Industrial Heritage in Greenfield (pop. 18,168) was founded to preserve “the means and memories” of the region’s rich industrial past. The museum’s collection includes examples of the tools and cutlery produced in Franklin County that were used by the industries in the area during the 19th and 20th centuries.

first appeared: 7/27/2008

—In the 1840s, Holyoke (pop. 39,838) was developed by a group of Boston industrialists who saw great potential for factories powered by the waters of the Connecticut River’s Hadley Falls. Although the mills produced fabrics and industrial machinery, the city became best known for its fine quality paper, hence its nickname “Paper City.”

first appeared: 7/13/2008

—Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, born in Boston in 1841, had a significant influence on contract law, through his writings in The Common Law. It was his premise that a contract was not a moral obligation, but merely an option to either perform the promised action or pay damages.

first appeared: 6/29/2008

—The nonprofit NEADS (New England Assistance Dog Services)/Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans trains dogs at its 15-acre Princeton (pop. 3,353) campus to help people who are deaf or physically disabled live more independently. Among the dogs’ tasks are to awaken an owner when an alarm clock rings and to retrieve dropped items.

first appeared: 6/15/2008

—The EcoTarium in Worcester, founded in 1825 as the Worcester Lyceum of Natural History, promotes new ways of looking at nature and science on local, regional and global scales. Among its offerings are a planetarium, the Explorer Express train, wildlife displays and 60 acres of trails.

first appeared: 6/1/2008

—Princeton (pop. 3,353) was named after the Rev. Thomas Prince, pastor of the Old South Church in Boston, and one of the first proprietors of the town. The town was incorporated in 1759.

first appeared: 5/18/2008

—Deerfield (pop. 4,750) is a historic rural community that suffered repeated attacks from French and Indian forces during the early 18th century. Its early economy was built on tobacco and cucumber farming and pocketbook manufacturing.

first appeared: 5/4/2008

—The Harvard Museum of Natural History in Cambridge features botanical, zoological and geological exhibits. Among the ancient mammals is the 25,000-year-old Harvard mastodon, excavated in Hackettstown, N.J. (pop. 10,403), in 1844.

first appeared: 3/9/2008

—Winchendon (pop. 9,611) earned its nickname “Toy Town” after Morton Converse began manufacturing toys, including hobbyhorses, there in the late 1800s. One of Converse’s equine creations, a 12-foot rocking horse named Clyde, was built from the wood of nine pine trees and was the town’s landmark.

first appeared: 2/24/2008

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