Last updated on December 26th, 2020
28. It was here in Massachusetts that the process of Vulcanization was invented by Charles Goodyear in a factory in Woburn where he lived. He accidentally combined rubber and sulfur upon a hot stove. Much to Goodyear’s surprise, the rubber didn’t melt. And, when he raised the heat, it actually hardened.[20]
29. Boston, Massachusetts is the headquarter of the world’s leading brand of safety razors “Gillette.”[21]
30. TUPPERWARE™ was invented by Earl Tupper while he was experimenting with plastic. He molded the then-new material into containers and started marketing his products as giveaways with cigarettes.[22]
31. The inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee, is currently a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).[23]
32. The Charles Williams, Jr. House located on Arlington Street, Somerville, is the location of the first residential telephone line in the world. The phone inside the house connected to the owner’s office 3 miles away at 109 Court Street in Boston. These two properties had the first telephone numbers – 1 & 2 of the Bell Telephone Company.
33. Massachusetts revolutionized the frozen fruit industry. Clarence Birdseye, developed the first freezer to quick-freeze fish and other foods including meat, vegetables etc. Foods that were frozen quickly as opposed to slow freezing tasted better. Birdseye was issued US Patent #1,773, 079 that marked the beginning of the frozen food industry. A range of frozen foods were test marketed in Springfield, Massachusetts; and after a great response from the public, the company continued to sell their frozen food products and the rest is history.
34. Boston, the state’s most populous city, has been the capital of Massachusetts since its founding.
35. Did you know that the first thanksgiving was held in Massachusetts in the Plymouth Colony in 1621?
36. Massachusetts is one of the nation’s leading producer of cranberries.
37. To protest the British tea tax, many Bostonians dumped tea from three British ships into the sea. The event happened on Boston harbor and was since then widely known as the Boston Tea Party.
38. In 1826, Massachusetts became home to the first railroad in the U.S.
39. Massachusetts is the birth of American Revolution where the first resistance against the British colonial rule emerged.
40. The state also gave birth to the birth control pills. Dr. Gregory Pincus developed the pills in the 1959s in the Clark University in Worcester.
41. Springfield the capital of the state is its third most populous city. The city is located on Connecticut River’s eastern bank. Springfield is often called the “Hoop City.” Other nicknames of the state’s capital Springfield are the “City of the Firsts” and the “City of Homes.”
42. Springfield lies at a distance of 24 miles from Hartford, the capital of Connecticut. The Springfield-Hartford region is known as the “Knowledge Corridor” because of the facts that the region has more than 32 universities and shelters more than 150,000 students. This is the second-largest concentration of higher learning institutions in the United States.
Massachusetts – quick facts and state symbols
| State Abbreviation | MA |
|---|---|
| State Capital | Boston List Of 50 U.S. States And Their Capital |
| Largest City | Boston |
| State Size | Total (Land + Water): 10,555 sq miles; Land Only: 7,840 sq miles |
| Population | 6,859,819 (Estimate July 1, 2017 from United States Census Bureau) |
| Statehood | Feb. 6, 1788 |
| State rank by population | 15th |
| State rank by date of formation | 6th |
| State rank by area | 44th |
| Number of Counties | 14 Complete list of 50 states and number of counties in each |
| Demonym | Bay Stater (official) Massachusite (traditional) Massachusettsian |
| Bordering States | Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont |
| Official Language | English |
| Highest Point | Mount Greylock 3,489 ft (1063.4 m) |
| Lowest point | Atlantic Ocean Sea level |
| Length | 113 miles (182 km) |
| Width | 183 miles (295 km) |
| Governor | Charlie Baker (R) |
| Electoral Votes | 11 |
| State Mottos | Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem (By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty) |
| State Nickname | Bay State; Old Colony State |
| % Water | 25.7 |
| Nobel Prize Winners | Roderick MacKinnon (Chemistry, 2003) Roger B. Myerson (Economic Sciences, 2007) Richard F. Heck (Chemistry, 2010) Lloyd S. Shapley (Economic Sciences, 2012) Eugene F. Fama (Economic Sciences, 2013) James E. Rothman (Physiology or Medicine, 2013) Kenneth G. Wilson (Physics, 1982) Elias James Corey (Chemistry, 1990) Merton H. Miller (Economic Sciences, 1990) William F. Sharpe (Economic Sciences, 1990) Henry W. Kendall (Physics, 1990) |
| Famous People | Nick Buoniconti (Pro Football Player) Jeff Bagwel (Baseball Player) Chris Evans (Actor) Paula Cole (Singer) |
| U.S. Presidents Born in Massachusetts | 1. John Adams 2. John Quincy Adams. 3. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy. 4. George Herbert Walker Bush. |
| Folk song | "Massachusetts" by Arlo Guthrie |
| State Dog | Boston Terrier |
| State Fish | Cod |
| State Bird | Cactus Wren |
| State Game Bird | Wild Turkey |
| State Gem | Rhodonite |
| State Reptile | Garter snake |
| Marine mammal | Right whale |
| State Flower | Mayflower |
| State Fossil | Dinosaur Tracks |
| State Shell | New England Neptune |
| State Berry | Cranberry |
| State Tree | American elm |
| State Horse | Morgan Horse |
| State bean | Baked Navy Bean |
| Longitude | 69° 56′ W to 73° 30′ W |
| Latitude | 41° 14′ N to 42° 53′ N |
| Time Zone | Eastern Time Zone |
| Website | www.mass.gov |
| Area Codes | 339, 351, 413, 508, 617, 774, 781, 857, 978 |
| Table last updated | June 8, 2020 |