1. 1782: Massachusetts becomes the first state in the US to recognise Thanksgiving Day as a holiday. Prior to this, the day had been celebrated sporadically in some parts of New England.

2. 1835: The Great Fire of Newburyport, a city in northeastern Massachusetts, destroys over 40 buildings and results in $250,000 worth of damage. The blaze was one of the largest and most destructive fires in Massachusetts history.

3. 1853: The Boston Public Library opens to the public for the first time. The library was the first free municipal library in the US and is now the third-largest public library system in the country.

4. 1922: The largest oil spill in US history at the time occurs in the Taunton River in Massachusetts. The spill was caused by a ruptured pipeline and resulted in over 120,000 gallons of oil being released into the river.

5. 1965: The Massachusetts Department of Education establishes the first statewide bilingual education program in the US, aimed at assisting students who are not fluent in English. Today, Massachusetts is home to a large and diverse immigrant population, with over 15% of the state's residents being foreign-born.