

|
1775-1789
|
|
|
1775
|
First newspaper produced in Worcester |
|
1786
|
First rebellion against the United States government (Shays' Rebellion) |
|
1788
|
Isaiah Thomas prints the first dictionary published in America |
|
1789
|
William Hill Brown published The Power of Sympathy, regarded as the first American novel. |
|
© 2008 Worcester Historical Museum | Site Map | Search | Contact Us |
|
|
1807-1850
|
|
|
1807
|
Worcester to Boston road opened |
|
1812
|
American Antiquarian Society founded by Isaiah Thomas |
|
1826
|
Construction of Blackstone Canal began |
|
1828
|
Blackstone Canal opened |
|
1834
|
Worcester Academy founded |
|
1835
|
Boston & Worcester Railroad opened |
|
1840
|
Monkey wrench invented by Loring Coes of Coes Knife Co. |
|
1843
|
Charles Thurber patents the first modern-day typewriter |
|
1843
|
College of the Holy Cross founded |
|
1845
|
First High School built on Walnut Street |
|
1847
|
First telegraph offices in Worcester opened |
|
1847
|
Providence & Worcester Railroad opened |
|
1848
|
Blackstone canal closed |
|
1850
|
National Woman's Rights Convention held October 23 and 24. The first national convention of women advocating women's suffrage |
|
© 2008 Worcester Historical Museum | Site Map | Search | Contact Us |
|
|
1853-1898
|
|
|
1853
|
Hope Cemetery chartered |
|
1854
|
Elm Park deeded to the city of Worcester |
|
1855
|
Joshua Stoddard patents the first steam calliope |
|
1858
|
First Worcester Music Festival |
|
1859
|
First inter-collegiate regatta on Lake Quinsigamond |
|
1861
|
Free Public Library opened on Elm Street. |
|
1865
|
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) founded |
|
1873
|
Chamber of Commerce organized |
|
1874
|
Worcester State College founded |
|
1875
|
Worcester Society of Antiquity founded, now the Worcester Historical Museum |
|
1876
|
Samuel Frost was the last man to be hanged in Worcester |
|
1879
|
First use of telephone in the city |
|
1880
|
J. Lee Richmond of the Worcesters pitched the first perfect game in major league baseball history |
|
1882
|
First major league baseball game double-header played between Providence and Worcester |
|
1883
|
First use of electricity for street lighting in Worcester |
|
1887
|
Clark University founded |
|
1887
|
Becker Junior College founded (Leicester campus opened in 1784) |
|
1893
|
Electric trolleys first used in Worcester |
|
1895
|
Henry Perky first mass produces shredded wheat |
|
1898
|
Present City Hall dedicated |
|
© 2008 Worcester Historical Museum | Site Map | Search | Contact Us |
|
|
1902-1949
|
|
|
1902
|
Albert A. Michelson, chairman of Clark University's Physics Department, named America's first Nobel Prize Winner |
|
1904
|
Assumption College founded |
|
1908
|
Boys Trade School opened |
|
1911
|
First airplane flight over Worcester |
|
1914
|
Dr. Robert H. Goddard patented the first liquid fuel rocket |
|
1921
|
First Graduate School of Geography opened at Clark University |
|
1926
|
Robert H. Goddard, a professor at Clark University, fired his first rocket in nearby Auburn |
|
1932
|
Lake Quinsigamond bridge opened by the Prince of Wales |
|
1944
|
Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology opens |
|
1949
|
Worcester receives All America City Award for first time |
|
© 2008 Worcester Historical Museum | Site Map | Search | Contact Us |
|
|
1953-2000
|
|
|
1953
|
The June tornado strikes Worcester killing 94 |
|
1957
|
Birth Control Pill developed by Gregory Pincas, Ph.D. and Min Chueh Chang, Ph.D. at Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology in nearby town of Shrewsbury (approved by the FDA in 1960) |
|
1959
|
First reproducible mammalian in vitro fertilization achieved by Min Chueh Chang, Ph.D. at Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology in nearby town of Shrewsbury |
|
1960
|
All America City Award received for second time |
|
1961
|
Worcester Industrial Technical Institute founded |
|
1962
|
The University of Massachusetts (UMass) Center opened |
|
1962
|
Near East Food Products began as Hannah Kalajian began packaging her well-known Rice Pilaf. |
|
1963
|
Harvey Ball designs the world famous Smiley face |
|
1963
|
Quinsigamond Community College established |
|
1965
|
All America City Award received for third time |
|
1970
|
UMass Medical School accepted its first class |
|
1971
|
Worcester Center Galleria opens |
|
1976
|
Worcester took part in the nationwide celebration on the nation's 200th anniversary |
|
1980
|
All America City Award received for fourth time |
|
1982
|
Worcester Centrum opened |
|
1982
|
Sara Robertson, chosen first woman mayor of Worcester |
|
1985
|
Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI) founded |
|
1994
|
Worcester Common Fashion Outlets opened at the former Galleria. |
|
1997
|
Worcester's Centrum Centre opened |
|
1999
|
Worcester Cold Storage fire kills 6 Worcester firemen |
|
2000
|
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) opened Worcester campus |
|
2000
|
All America City Award received for fifth time |
|
© 2008 Worcester Historical Museum | Site Map | Search | Contact Us |
|
Worcester Events
Click on a time period to see a list of major events
that occurred in Worcester.
|
Links
to more info...
|