Boston Info Network

1. During the American Revolution, Boston was the site of many bloody patriotic battles: the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Siege of Boston, the Battle of Lexington and Concord, and the Battle of Bunker Hill, took place in and around the city. Because of Boston’s role in the American Revolution, it has been named the “Cradle of Liberty.”

 

2. Boston natives have a way of speaking that seems peculiar to tourists. This non-rhotic accent – as seen in the movie Good Will Hunting with Matt Damon and Robin Williams – causes natives to drop the ‘r’ at the end of syllables (unless the next syllable begins with a vowel). This means that “car” and “la” rhyme and “yard” is pronounced “yahd.” Other anomalies in speech give Boston natives a whimsical and distinct way of speaking.

 

3. Boston is a city of firsts: it is home to Boston Commons (the first public park), the first subway, and the first public library in America.

 

4. Boston has a weather beacon on top of the Berkeley Building called the Old Hancock Tower. This weather advisory flashes a pattern of lights to alert city-dwellers of stormy weather – and even the cancellation of Red Sox games in summer. In 2004 – when the Curse of the Bambino was lifted and the Red Sox won the World Series for the first time in 86 years – the beacon flashed red and blue to celebrate the event.

 

5. From 1659 to 1681 it was illegal to celebrate Christmas in Boston. This was due to strict Puritan beliefs that the holiday was pagan, and therefore sinful. The crime was enforced with a penalty of five shillings, if caught.

 

6. On January 15, 1919, a storage tank of Molasses burst in Boston’s North End causing molasses to pour over the city streets at a rate of 35 mph. The “Great Molasses Flood” killed 21 people and Bostonians claim that hot days in the North End still smell faintly of molasses.

 

7. Boston boasts five Pro sports teams: the Red Sox (baseball), the Boston Bruins (hockey), Boston Celtics (basketball), New England Revolution (soccer), and the New England Patriots (football). Boston is proud of its sports heritage and in summer, Red Sox fans clog up the T on the way to and from Boston’s legendary Fenway Park.

 



8. One of Boston’s nicknames is “Beantown.” This moniker derives from its favorite recipe: Boston baked beans made with beans, pork, and molasses. This concoction was cooked up back when Boston was a popular port for molasses from the West Indies. There is also a candy by the same name that consists of chocolate-coated peanuts.

 

9. St. Patrick’s Day was first celebrated in Boston in 1737. It began as a celebration of Irish Pride and an opportunity for the hordes of Irish immigrants that flocked to Boston to escape the Potato Famine to reconnect with their heritage. Boston continues to be one of the country’s largest Irish populations in America.

 

10. At the Old North Church, Robert Newman (the Church sexton) lighted two lanterns to signal to legendary Paul Revere that the British were invading Lexington and Concord by sea as in the old adage “One if by land, two if by sea.” Paul Revere’s famous ride began that night in Boston and ended in Lexington, Massachusetts to warn the countryside that the British were coming. This event signaled the beginning of the American Revolution. Tourists often retrace Paul Revere’s ride – beginning in Boston.