1. In 1764, Samuel Adams delivered his famous speech against the Sugar Act at the Old South Meeting House in Boston. The speech helped to galvanize opposition to British taxation policies and was a key event in the lead-up to the American Revolution.

2. In 1837, the first successful kidnapping for ransom in American history took place in Medford, Massachusetts. The victim, a wealthy farmer named Benjamin Perley Poore, was released after his family paid a ransom of $1,000.

3. In 1865, the submarine H.L. Hunley became the first submarine in history to sink an enemy ship when it torpedoed and sank the Union warship USS Housatonic off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. The Hunley was built in Mobile, Alabama but was funded by a group of wealthy investors in Charleston, many of whom were from Massachusetts.

4. In 1924, the first Winter Olympics to be held in the United States officially opened in Chamonix, France. Although Massachusetts did not host the event, several athletes from the state competed in skiing and ice hockey events.

5. In 1962, the first public performance of the modern version of Leonard Bernstein's musical West Side Story took place in New York City. The show was based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and was set in the slums of New York City. Despite its New York setting, the show was also popular in Massachusetts and had many productions in the state over the years.