What are thekey events in Boston history?And why should you care?

Almost 400 years have passed since the first group of English Puritans set foot on the small peninsula that they named "Boston" and built into one of America's biggest and best cities.

During those 400 years, Boston has led the nation infighting for independence, in establishinggreat civic institutions, and finally inrejuvenating city neighborhoods.

Millions of people visit Boston each year to experience its top attractions, excellent hotels, and renowned restaurants. 

Old red brick buildings blend seamlessly with the soaring steel and glass business towers of today.

Walk around the city and you'll see evidence of Boston's history everywhere.

But who even knows the difference between aPuritan and aPilgrim?  What things happenedfirst in Boston?  And why did Red Sox fans once moan about the"Curse of the Bambino?"

You can certainly enjoy Boston without knowing any of these things. 

But in case you're planning a visit and want to learn more, use thisBoston history timelineto find out how our spectacular 21st century waterfront city began, grew, and flourished.

Top Photo:  Representation of The Arabella (also called Arbella), one of 11 ships that carried about 700 Puritans and their livestock and other possessions to the New World in 1630 (Photo source: The Tichnor Brothers Collection, Boston Public Library, public domain)

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1630 AD:  The Puritans Arrive 

Did Boston's history begin with the Puritans' arrival?

No, not by a long shot.  In the almost 10,000 years before their arrival, melting Ice Age glaciers formed New England's landscape, Native Americans arrived ... and that's just the beginning.

• Find out more about the Puritans arrival - and what the area was like before they came

1631 - 1680:  Puritans Build Boston 

After a rough beginning, thePuritans begin toprosper and build. 

Find out about how they laid the foundations for what makes our city great today - schools, parks, libraries, taverns - and find out why Boston history has so many"firsts." in the New World.

Learn more about how the Puritans build Boston

1681 - 1760:  Massachusetts Bay Colony  

The English monarchy is restored ... andtrouble descends on Boston as theMassachusetts Bay Colony loses its right to self-govern. 

Discover why the Colony and Boston begin torevolt by 1750 - even though the Revolutionary War is 25 years away.

Find out more about troubles in the Massachusetts Bay Colony

1761 - 1772:  "No Taxation without Representation!" & The Boston Massacre 

British rulers lust for taxes and control ... and resistance by the Colonists grow.

When British troops fire into a hostile crowd and kill 5, anger explodes and revolution fills the air. Discover why "No Taxation without Representation" can be heard throughout Boston by 1750.

Learn more about why the Colonists opposed taxation without representation  

Tours through Boston's History

1773 - 1774:  Boston Tea Party 

When the king sendsships full of English tea to Boston and blockades the harbor to force the colonists to unload the cargo and pay taxes, Patriots Samuel Adams and other Sons of Liberty decide tohold a Tea Party - in Boston Harbor.

To retaliate, the Redcoats move the state capital to Salem and occupy Bostonians' houses.

Read about the Boston Tea Party - and the Redcoats' revenge

1775:  American Revolutio

n Begins 

On the evening of April 18, Paul Revere and William Dawes set forth on horseback to warn that British troops are coming to Concord to try to capture John Hancock and Sam Adams.

On the following day in Lexington, an important day in Boston history unfolds asshots ring out and theAmerican Revolution begins.  A few months later, theBattle of Bunker Hillrages.

Find out about Paul Revere's midnight ride - and the first bloody day of Revolution

Patriot Profile:  A Menotomy Hero 

Samuel Whittemore fought three times for the British, and moved from England to the Colonies. 

Now he's settled down on his farm outside of Boston. When he sees British militia moving across the countryside, he grabs some weapons. He wants his grandchildren to grow up free, and he plans to do his part. He is 81 . . . but not too old to fight!

Learn more about the life of Sam Whittemore

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

Longfellow wrote"The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" almost 100 years after the fateful gallop across the countryside. 

It's not quite accurate - but he captures the courage of the women and older men left to defend their farms, and he gives us the memorable line,"The British are coming!"

A Rousing Poem:  "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere"   

1775 - 1799:  The Siege of Boston

With Boston in a state of siege,General George Washington expels the British from Boston on March 17, 1776.

Within a few years, Bostonians celebrateIndependence, write the Massachusetts State Constitution, sign the U.S. Constitution, and join the Federal union.  Massachusetts becomes the first state toabolish slavery.

More about the Siege of Boston 

1800 - 1849:  Industry, Immigrants, Abolition

A different type of revolution - theAmerican Industrial Revolution - begins when Bostonian Robert Cabot Lowell builds the nation's first textile mill.  Boston becomes a city. 

The City of Boston grows by annexation and by filling mudflats to create land as Irish and other immigrants swell the population.  Anti-slavery speeches heat up, putting Boston at the center of a growing national debate.

1850 - 1899:  Boston Grows and Flourishes

Annexation, land fill, and Irish immigration continue.  Massachusetts fights to preserve the Union in the Civil War.

Many of Boston's great cultural institutions form and flourish.  Back Bay is built and literature blooms - but in adark moment in Boston history, three Harvard graduates found the Immigration Restriction League to ban immigrants from countries they perceived as "inferior." 

The firstBoston Marathon takes place.

1900 - 1949:  Curses and Disasters

TheBoston Pilgrims, soon to be known as theBoston Red Sox, win a world series but all too soon comes a dreadful moment in Boston history: Babe Ruth places the Curse of the Bambino on the city, causing generations to despair. 

TheCocoanut Grove firekills 490. 

Threatening clouds gather over Boston after World War II as aslow decline begins.

A Gruesome Event:  The Great Molasses Flood 

The Great Molasses Flood - perhaps the ghastliest event in Boston's history - occurs when exceptionally warm January weather causes a huge, already-leakingvat of molasses to burst in the North End.

The ensuing flood of what witnesses describe as "goo" kills 21 people plus a number of animals.

Find out more about the Great Molasses Flood 

1950 - 1999:  Boston's Decline ... and Revival

Urban renewal fervor razes the West End and brutalist-style Government Center is built.

The elevatedCentral Artery goes up, bisecting the city.  "Dirty Water," the Standells' pop song, immortalizes the then-polluted Charles River.

John F. Kennedy is elected U.S. President, and assassinated 3 years later.

Finally,urban regeneration begins to revive the city.

2000 - Present

The Central Artery becomes a tunnel covered by a new park, the Greenway, to reunite the city.

Massachusetts leads the nation inlegalizing same-sex marriage and enactinghealthcare reform. 

TheRed Soxreverse the Curse and win two World Series.  Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots also win championships.

QuarterbackTom Brady, locally known as "G.O.A.T" ("Greatest of All Time) leads theNew England Patriots to 6 Super Bowl winsduring his 20-year tenure with the Pats before departing to join another team.

117th Boston Marathon Bombings:  Boston Strong

Two bombs explode near the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon.  After amassive manhunt, the police find the two suspects.  One accidentally kills the other before surrendering. Boston Strong becomes the city's mantra.

More about the 117th Boston Marathon

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