It’s Also History: Tales & Tidbits from Alan's Archives

Fifty years before America 250, there was The Bicentennial. Hear about the grandiose plans for Boston's celebration, then listen to what really took place - actually, something better

The British troops left Boston on March 17, 1776, almost a year after the Revolution began. That wasn't quite the end of the story, however. There was one more brief skirmish and the handling of POWs to deal with. The story is about British troop ships sailing into the harbor after the evacuation, and how the prisoners of war were handled..

On March 16, 1926, a century ago, Robert Goddard gave birth to the Space Age as he launched the world's first liquid fuel rocket from a relative's farm in Auburn, MA. It took another 30 years before the space race began in earnest, but it had its roots in a small Massachusetts suburb of Worcester.

Alexander Graham Bell's name is a household word around the world. He is indelibly linked with the invention of the telephone. What is less known is that he uttered his famous first words on his invention in a tiny makeshift lab in downtown Boston, Listen how Bell came to be in Boston and what a tourist would find at the site today.

The old Boston Arena, birthplace to the Bruins and Celtics, pre-dated Boston Garden by 18 years and outlived it by 30. It is now slated to be replaced. Hear how a Boston sports jewel - older than Fenway - survived deep into the twenty-first century, while hosting famous sports and entertainment celebrities, major league games, politicians, and icons of its era..

In 1881, leaders of a private school in Northfield, MA mandated that all students run a 4-mile course around the campus before leaving for Thanksgiving break. It was extremely unpopular until Mrs. Forslund offered pies. It is today the oldest road race in America.

In 1925, the United States had a major soccer league that was second only to baseball in newspaper coverage. Soccer also had - and still has - an open tournament for the national title. It's open to all teams - professional and amateur. Hear how, in 1925 a small club from Andover, Massachusetts beat all comers;

There was a time when Benedict Arnold was considered one of the best soldiers for the American Cause. Hear about how he led an expedition across New England on his way to capture Quebec for the Americans.

Hidden in the shadows of the more famous battles of Lexington & Concord and Bunker Hill is a little-known, but important step on the way to independence. The battle of May 27, 1775, took place along the shores of today's communities of Chelsea, Revere, and East Boston, and is considered to be the first naval engagement of the American Revolution.

very school child knows of Paul Revere, and the history buffs can add the names of Dawes and Prescott to the account, but, in reality, there existed a whole network of express riders who spread the alarm of Lexington and Concord all over eastern Massachusetts. Listen and, and you may discover your town's own "midnight rider."

Before Lexington and Concord, before Leslie's in Salem there was the Worcester Revolt although little known it affectively separated Worcester County from British control.

Everyone knows the names Lexington & Concord, but the American Revolution nearly started two months earlier in Salem. Listen to how it was prevented as cooler heads prevailed on that February day 250 years ago. Instead of the start of a war, it became merely the dress rehearsal of what came on April 19th.

The downtown area of a western Massachusetts town at Christmas time was once featured in an iconic painting . Now, every year, the scene is recreated in real life. Learn about how an image from another era transformed a community.

The history or politics aficionado has heard of the famous Resolute Desk, the president's desk in the Oval Office. Learn about its connections to New England.

Boston may not have hosted the Olympics this year, but there once was a time that a small piece of the games - complete with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron - was staged within the city limits. Hear how and why that took place.

Was he a genius or was he just the luckiest businessman? Hear how Timothy Dexter, self-styled Lord of Newburyport, beat them all in everything he did.

Comic book character Archie Andrews lived in the fictional, but idyllic, town of Riverdale, but one Massachusetts community has a solid claim to be the city it was based on. Listen to hear how Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, and the gang have at least passing resemblances to real Haverhillites.

In 1776, when America officially broke from Great Britain, slavery was legal in all 13 states. Four years later, Massachusetts adopted its state constitution which appeared to outlaw the practice for the first time anywhere in the United States. To end slavery, though, it took a series of court cases to determine the constitution's exact meaning. Two brave souls, who were afforded very little...

Before serving, elected presidents must first take the oath of office. Since the beginning of our nation, six communities have played host to the ritual - five large cities and one very small New England town. Listen to hear how a village of less than 700 residents was once the site of this iconic transfer of power.

Jingle Bells is one of the most famous songs of all time, but its composer and origin are barely known today. Listen to hear about its connections to New England 

Two days before Thanksgiving there was an explosion in the town of Danvers, Ma that leveled mor than 300 homes and businesses. It was described by one reporter as looking like a war zone. Listen to hear how, despite the devastation, no one was killed or even seriously hurt.

Today, Monday night and Thursday night football games are staples of the NFL schedule. There was a time when all games were played during the day. That pattern was broken right here in New England, but not by a team you might expect.

There's an old New England tradition that began as a newspaper marketing scheme that still lives on long after the paper's demise. It involves a gold-tipped ebony cane and the oldest resident in town. 

Right in the middle of the Roaring 20s Boston’s Pickwick Club was celebrating the Fourth of July. Tragedy struck while the crowd was dancing the Charleston, when the building came crashing down.

Her image was plastered all over every product sold, she was America’s first self-made female millionaire, songs were written about her, but today she’s nearly forgotten. Just who was this woman from Lynn, Massachusetts?