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Boston was first visited by explorers in 1614 when Captain John Smith sailed into Massachusetts Bay.
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In its very early days Boston was called Trimountaine because of its three prominent hills, two of which have been destroyed by development.
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The first settler in Boston's area was William Blackstone, a reverend who arrived in 1623.
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Puritans arrived later, in 1630. The town was officially founded on September 17th, 1630.
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The first public elementary school in America opened in 1635 - the Mather School.
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The first college established in North America was Harvard, in 1636, in Boston.
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The first lighthouse built in America was built in 1716 in Boston Harbor.
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Boston was incorporated as a city in 1822.
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The first chocolate factory in the U.S. was built in Boston, in the Lower Mills area of Dorchester.
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Boston became known as Beantown because of the popularity of baked beans in molasses in its early years.
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The first public beach in the United States was Revere Beach in Boston.
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Boston is home to the most prestigious marathon in the world - the Boston Marathon. It is also the oldest marathon in the world. The first race was held in 1897.
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At the first Boston Marathon there were only 15 participants. Today there are approximately 25,000 participants each year.
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Between 1631 and 1890 the city of Boston was able to triple its land area. This was accomplished by filling in mud flats and marshes, and by filling in areas on the waterfront as well.
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In 1919 the Boston Molasses Disaster occurred. A tank carrying 2 million gallons of hot molasses burst and spilled onto Boston's north end. 21 people were killed, as well as many horses.
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Each year on December 16th there is a re-enactment of the Boston Tea Party at Boston Harbor.
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Boston has 23 official neighborhoods and is sometimes referred to as the 'city of neighborhoods'.
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Boston is considered to be one of the world's top 30 economically powerful cities.
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Boston Common is the oldest park in the United States. It is adjacent to Boston Public Garden. These parks are part of the Emerald Necklace - parks that were designed to encircle Boston, by Frederick Law Olmsted.
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Popular tourist destinations in Boston include the Freedom Trail, Faneuil Hall, Boston Common, Fenway Park, Museum of Fine Arts, New England Aquarium, Paul Revere House, Prudential Tower, Bunker Hill Monument, Harvard Museum of Natural History, USS Constitution Museum, Trinity Church, and Boston Harbor.
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