Boston Then and Now: Copley Square

I've come across quite a few old pictures of Boston in areas where I've taken some pictures. Here's a look at Copley Square in the past compare to how it is now.  THEN: The back of Trinity Church- 1877 – From Boston Public Library NOW: June 2014 The building looks remarkably the same. The biggest changes […]

Recommended Stuff Spring 2014 Edition: Weather, Video Streaming, Cheap Books, Boston Booze…

Here's a few items that I seem to be telling people about quite a bit lately. You may want to check them out. Weather Underground – A Weather App That Doesn't Suck  It seems like as each of the main weather apps we all use on our phones (The Weather Channel, Accuweahter, Yahoo! Weather) have been […]

Boston’s Granary Burying Grounds: The Final Resting Place of Hancock, Revere and… Mother Goose?

Wikipedia outlines a bit of the history of the grounds: The Burying Ground was the third cemetery established in the city of Boston and dates to the year 1660. The need for the site arose because the land set aside for the city's first cemetery, King's Chapel Burying Ground located a block east was insufficient […]

How Did They Become Known as the Red Sox?

Mental Floss explains how each Major League Baseball team got there name. Here's the Red Sox story: The team that became known as the Red Sox began play "“ wearing dark blue socks, no less "“ as a charter member of the American League in 1901. With no official nickname, the team was referred to […]

Classic Stephen Colbert on the Marathon Bombing

Classic Colbert on the Marathon Bombing last night. "Boston was founded by the Pilgrams. A people so tough they had to buckle their hats on!"   The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,Video Archive      

How Much did Paul Revere Charge for His Infamous Midnight Ride? Here’s The Bill He Submitted

Paul Revere made his historic ride to warn the countryside that the British Regulars were coming on April 18, 1775.  Revere had a big family (8 kids) and was an astute businessman who had an engraving business, was a silversmith, a printer, and had several other enterprises. So when he had to take time off […]

2 Good New Boston Based Fiction Books about Technology (MIT) and Art Forgery

The empty frames in the Gardner Museum from the infamous heist are  the backdrop to B. A. Shapiro's "The Art Forger" I've just read two new novels that are set in Boston which are very good. They each do deep dives into specific times and areas that are really interesting, give you a glimpse into […]

In 1897 Boston Built America’s First Subway to Help with Congestion and… Blizzards

Construction at Park St. Click for larger image. (from the BPL) On September 1, 1897 Boston opened for business the first Subway in the United States. It was modeled after several European cities (including London which had launched their own 34 years earlier) and was followed a few years later with a subway in New York […]

The Biggest Art Heist Ever: Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum – March 1990

UPDATE 3/17/2015: The Boston FBI claims they know who pulled the job off, but they are deceased: “We have a high degree of confidence that we know who did this,” said Pete Kowenhoven of the FBI in Boston. Kowenhoven says the two suspects are now dead. “Two individuals that dressed up like the Boston Police […]

The Great Boston Fire of 1872: How a Horse Flu, Drunkards, and Bad Roofs Led to Disaster

One year after the Great Chicago fire, the Great Boston Fire in 1872 burnt over 700 buildings and 65 acres of downtown Boston to the ground. Here's some background on the blaze and some interesting points on how the city was not prepared. How Did It Start? MassMoments has a great summary of how the […]