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Top 10 Astonishing facts about Boston

Boston is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States situated on Boston Harbor, an arm of Massachusetts Bay, itself an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. It was founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan settlers from the English town of the same name. It is one of the oldest municipalities in the States.

The City of Boston is one of the most historically abundant cities in the United States, being the scene of several key events of the American Revolution, such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill and the siege of Boston.

Here are the top 10 astonishing facts about Boston that many folks do not know about;

1. Christmas was once banned for 22 years

Christmas Decoration – Flickr

The pious Puritans who sailed from England in 1620 to found the Massachusetts Bay Colony banned the celebration of Christmas holiday. Parliament decreed that December 25 should instead be a day of 鈥渇asting and humiliation鈥� for Englishmen to account for their sins.

After England overthrew King Charles I in 1647 the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony made it a criminal offense to publicly celebrate the holiday and was subject to a 5-shilling fine. Thus, during Christmas, the Puritans kept their shops and schools open and churches closed.

In 1681, after 22 years, the law was lifted and people were allowed to celebrate Christmas once again.

2. Revere Beach was the country鈥檚 first public beach

Revere Beach – Flickr

Revere Beach is located about five miles (8 km) north of downtown Boston and is over three miles (4.8 km) long. On July 12, 1896, Revere Beach was opened as the first public beach in the nation. The beach was home to the Cyclone roller coaster, the tallest roller coaster ever built at the time of its construction in 1925.

On May 27, 2003, Revere Beach was designated a National Historic Landmark. Today, the beach is known for The New England Sand Sculpting Festival that draws millions of visitors each year. During the festival, an area of the beach is fenced off, creating a temporary art gallery for visitors.

Event organizers have proclaimed that the festival is the largest sand-sculpting contest in New England.

3. Boston was the first United States city to have a subway system

Orange Line train – Wikidata

The section of the Tremont Street subway between Park Street and Boylston Street stations, opened in September 1897, making it the oldest transit subway in the United States still in use. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

Today the T transport is known for its color-branded lines which have meanings. The Green Line goes through Boston鈥檚 鈥楨merald Necklace鈥� parks, the Blue Line runs under Boston Harbor, the Red Line travels near crimson-colored Harvard and the Orange Line partly runs down Washington Street, which was originally named Orange Street. Colors were assigned on August 26, 1965, after the routes they take. Originally, transit lines in the region only used geographic names; though numbering was added to public maps in 1936.

4. The first chocolate factory in the USA was in Boston

Bakers Chocolate – Wikiwand

Physician Dr. James Baker and Irish immigrant John Hannon opened New England鈥檚 first chocolate factory in 1765 at a water-powered mill in Dorchester. The company was then known as Walter Baker & Company. Baker鈥檚 Chocolate sold hard cakes of chocolate that people ground and mixed with boiling water to make hot chocolate.

Today, the company is by Kraft Heinz and is one of the largest national brands of chocolate in the United States. It continues to produce a variety of bulk chocolates, including white and unsweetened, and sweetened coconut flakes.

5. Boston is home to the oldest public park in the U.S.A.

Boston Common – Flickr

Boston Common is a central public park in downtown Boston dating as far back as 1634 making it the oldest city park in the United States. The Common was designated as a Boston Landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission in 1977.

The Boston Common is part of the Emerald Necklace of parks and parkways that extend from the Common south to Franklin Park in Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, and Dorchester. It consists of 50 acres (20 ha) of land bounded by Tremont Street (139 Tremont St.), Park Street, Beacon Street, Charles Street, and Boylston Street.

6. Boston was the site of the world鈥檚 biggest art heist

Vermeer The concert – Wikipedia

In the early morning hours of March 18, 1990, thirteen works of art were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has valued the haul at $500 million, and the museum is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to the art’s recovery, the largest bounty ever offered by a private institution.

Among the stolen art was The Concert, one of only 34 known paintings by Johannes Vermeer and thought to be the most valuable unrecovered painting in the world. Today empty frames remain hanging both in homage to the missing works and as placeholders for their return.

7. There are no happy hours at bars in Boston

Beer – Flickr

In 1984, the legislators, seeking to reduce drunk driving and its devastating consequences, passed a law banning bars and restaurants from offering free or reduced-price alcoholic beverages. The law was signed by then-Gov. Michael Dukakis.

This ban came after drunken driving accidents, particularly those involving youth, captured the nation鈥檚 attention, as lawmakers and parents searched for solutions.

The ban is still in effect today, previous efforts to repeal the ban failed.

8. The Old John Hancock building predicts the day鈥檚 weather

Berkeley Building – Flickr

Also known as the Berkeley Building is a 26-story, 495-foot (151 m) building located at 200 Berkeley Street, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The building is known for the weather beacon at its summit, which displays distinctive light patterns as weather forecasts. The beacon was first lit on March 15, 1950, and was controlled using forecasts from a meteorological agency located on the 26th floor.

Using a popular rhyme as a mnemonic: steady blue indicates clear view, flashing blue indicates clouds are due, steady red indicates rain is ahead and flashing red indicates snow instead. During baseball season, flashing red means the Boston Red Sox game has been called off on account of weather.

9. A molasses flood once took over Boston鈥檚 North End

Boston Molasses Disaster – Wikipedia

The Great Molasses Flood, also known as the Boston Molasses Disaster, occurred on January 15, 1919, in the North End neighborhood of Boston. A large storage tank filled with 2.3 million US gal (8,700 m3) of molasses, weighing approximately 13,000 short tons (12,000 t), burst, and the resultant wave of molasses rushed through the streets at an estimated 35 mph (56 km/h), killing 21 and injuring 150.

Several blocks were flooded to a depth of 2 to 3 ft (60 to 90 cm). Local folklore and residents claimed for decades afterwards that the area still smelled of molasses on hot summer days.

10. Home to Harvard University

Harvard University – Unsplash

Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard. It is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world.

The Harvard Library is the world’s largest academic library system, comprising 79 individual libraries holding about 20.4 million items.