Whenever I travel, the nerd in me collects any interesting information I can soak in about the place I am visiting. Boston was no exception. This post is for all the trivia nerds out there and for those who want to know all they can about Boston.
- Two great children's books set in Boston are Make Way for Ducklings and Johnny Tremain. The first is a Caldecott winner picture book, and the second is a 4th-5th grade level historical fiction classic which was awarded the Newbery Award. Both are wonderful!
- Boston has physically grown by 5,000 acres since 1640. It amazed me to learn how much of Boston is built from/on landfill! And yes, it began as far back as 1640. Logan Airport is built on landfill. I had to keep referring to a topographical map to see if where I was standing wasn't always there!
- NASA was originally supposed to be built in Boston. After the death of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson had the NASA site moved to Dallas.
- There is a 23 year waiting list for a mooring in Marblehead Harbor.
- Elias Derby (of Salem, MA) was the first millionaire in North America.
- The first lighthouse built in what is now the United States was built on Little Brewster Island in 1716. Little Brewster lies in Boston Harbor. The present lighthouse on the island has been there since 1783 and is the second oldest US lighthouse.
- America's first subway was built in Boston in 1897.
- The oldest public US park is Boston Common. Amazingly, the British army camped and trained here while quartered in Boston after the Boston Tea Party.
- The deepest tunnel in the United States is the Ted Williams Tunnel in Boston, running almost 90 feet under the surface of the earth.
These are some of the facts I collected on my trip. I would love to learn more though. If you have additional Boston trivia, please comment below!
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