1. In 1652, the Massachusetts Bay Colony passed a law establishing a minimum wage for workers. The law required employers to pay a minimum of 2 shillings per day to carpenters and other skilled workers, and 18 pence per day to unskilled laborers.

2. On May 12, 1765, a group of Boston merchants signed the Massachusetts Non-Importation Agreement, pledging to stop importing goods from Great Britain until the Stamp Act was repealed. The agreement was one of the earliest and most successful acts of colonial resistance to British policies.

3. In 1875, Mary Baker Eddy founded the Church of Christ, Scientist in Lynn, Massachusetts. The church's teachings are based on Eddy's book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, which emphasizes the power of spiritual healing.

4. On May 12, 1932, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced the creation of the first artificial radioactive element, which was produced in the MIT laboratory by a team of researchers led by John D. Strong. The discovery paved the way for further research into the properties of radioactive materials.

5. In 2004, Massachusetts became the first state in the US to legalize same-sex marriage, following a ruling by the state's Supreme Judicial Court. The decision sparked a nationwide debate on the issue of marriage equality, and other states soon followed Massachusetts' lead.