On this day in 1630, English Puritan settlers founded Boston, naming it after the market town of Boston in Lincolnshire, England. Nearly four centuries later, the city has grown into not only the capital and most populous city of Massachusetts but also the cultural and financial heartbeat of New England.
A Revolutionary Spirit
Boston’s story is inseparable from America’s. The city played a central role in the American Revolution, hosting some of the most pivotal moments in the nation’s fight for independence:
-
The Boston Massacre (1770)
-
The Boston Tea Party (1773)
-
Paul Revere’s midnight ride (1775)
-
The Battle of Bunker Hill (1775)
-
The Siege of Boston (1775–1776)
This revolutionary fervor helped inspire the rest of the Thirteen Colonies and cemented Boston’s place in American history.
Beantown and Beyond
After the Revolution, Boston’s seafaring tradition made it one of the busiest ports in the young United States. Ships carried molasses from the Caribbean, which eventually gave rise to the city’s famous Boston baked beans—and the nickname “Beantown.”
But molasses has a darker chapter in Boston’s history, too. On January 15, 1919, a massive storage tank in the North End burst, releasing more than 2 million gallons of sticky molasses. The “Great Molasses Flood” killed 21 people, injured 150, and left behind a lingering sweetness—residents claimed the neighborhood smelled of molasses for decades afterward.
Innovation and Education
From maritime trade to modern technology, Boston has never stopped leading. Today, it’s the largest biotechnology hub in the world, home to nearly 5,000 startups, and a global pioneer in innovation, entrepreneurship, and artificial intelligence.
Education has always been at the city’s core. The Boston Latin School, founded in 1635, is the oldest public school in America. Harvard, MIT, and Tufts form the famed “Brainpower Triangle,” drawing some of the world’s brightest minds. Boston also boasts the nation’s first public elementary school, first free municipal library, and the first major newspaper, The Boston Globe.
Parks, Tunnels, and Firsts
Boston has given the United States plenty of “firsts”:
-
Boston Common, America’s oldest public park
-
Boston Light, the first lighthouse in the nation
-
The first post office, tucked inside Richard Fairbanks’ tavern in 1639
-
The country’s first major free municipal library
Even beneath the city, Boston is groundbreaking—the Ted Williams Tunnel runs 90 feet below Boston Harbor, making it the deepest tunnel in the country.
A City of Invention
And when it comes to inventions, Boston has shaped everyday life in surprising ways. The disposable razor, the microwave, the Roomba, marshmallow fluff, and Fig Newtons all trace their roots back to Boston ingenuity.