A Lot of U.S. Historic Firsts are in Massachusetts
Boston is well-known as a city of “firsts” for America:
- 1621: First Thanksgiving (Plymouth, Massachusetts)
- 1634: Boston Common, the first public park
- 1635: Boston Latin School, the first public school, and
- 1636: Harvard, the first American university
- 1897: the first public subway system
But did you know that Massachusetts is home to dozens of other “firsts?” From the first European settlers, who arrived in Plymouth in 1620 to the first basketball game, invented by James Naismith in 1891, Massachusetts has always played a pivotal role in American history.
Want to learn more?
- Read more and scroll through the photos on the “400 years of Massachusetts firsts” article by WCVB.
- Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau (GBCVB)’s Boston Firsts