HUB History - Our Favorite Stories from Boston History

Latest Episodes:

Puritan UFOs (Ep63) Jan 15, 2018

Show notes

What did TV character Fox Mulder have in common with John Winthrop, the Puritan founder of Boston? They both recorded strange lights in the sky and other unexplained phenomena in extensive detail. This week, we’re going to explore the close encounters Winthrop described in 1639 and 1644. There were unexplained lights darting around the sky in formation at impossible speeds, ghostly sounds, and witnesses who claimed to have lost time. It’s a scene straight out of the X-Files, except these are considered the first UFO sightings in North America. Show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/063

**Ep61: Annexation, Making Boston Bigger for 150 Years** Dec 31, 2017
Show notes

In the latter half of the nineteenth century, Boston transformed itself from a town on a tiny peninsula to a sprawling city. In part, this was done by creating new land in the Back Bay and South Boston, but the city gained a great amount of area by annexing its neighbors. The first was Roxbury, which joined the city of Boston 150 years ago this week. Dorchester, Brighton, West Roxbury, and Charlestown would follow. Other towns, like Cambridge and Brookline would not. Find out why in this week’s show.

Show notes: HUBhistory.com/061

**Ep60: Holidays on the Harbor (Dec 25, 2017)** Dec 25, 2017
Show notes

If you’ve been listening to the show for a while, you’ll know that the Boston Harbor Islands are one of our favorite local destinations. This week, we’re sharing three stories from the Harbor Islands, all of which originally aired within the first 20 episodes of the podcast. We’ll hear about the zoo shipwreck, a hermit who made her home on the harbor, and the secret Harbor Island base where Nazis were smuggled into the country after World War II.

Show notes: HUBhistory.com/060

**Ep59: Corn, Cotton, and Condos, 378 Years on the Mother Brook (Dec 18, 2018)** Dec 18, 2017
Show notes

Everyone knows the Charles River and the Neponset River, but have you ever heard of the Mother Brook? It is America’s first industrial canal, built by Puritan settlers in the earliest days of Massachusetts Bay Colony, and vital to the development of Dorchester, Hyde Park, and Dedham. Plus, by connecting the rivers on either side, it turns the landmass occupied by Newton, Brookline, and most of Boston into an island!

Show notes: HUBhistory.com/059

**Ep58: Harvard's Human Computers Reach for the Stars (Dec 11, 2017)** Dec 11, 2017
Show notes

During an era more associated with the Wild West, a group of women in Cambridge made historic advances in the field of astronomy, discovering new stars and fundamental principles about how our universe works. In the beginning, they were treated as menial clerical workers and paid a fraction of what their male counterparts got. Only decades later did they win academic respect, earning advanced degrees and finally the title Professor. They were the Human Computers of the Harvard University Observatory.

Show notes: HUBhistory.com/058

**Ep57: Boston and Halifax, a Lasting Bond (Dec 4, 2017)** Dec 04, 2017
Show notes

On December 6, 1917, a munitions ship blew up in Halifax Harbor, causing the largest explosion until the atomic bomb was invented. The city was devastated; thousands were killed and injured. Before the day was over, Boston had loaded a train with doctors, nurses, and supplies. The train raced through the night and through a blizzard to bring relief to the desperate city. Today, Nova Scotia gives Boston a Christmas tree each year as a token of thanks.

Show notes: HUBhistory.com/057

**Ep56: Classic Killers (Nov 27, 2017)** Nov 27, 2017
Show notes

Last week's episode got us thinking about serial killers in Boston. In this week's show, we're revisiting two classic episodes about Boston's lesser known serial killers. Meet The Nightmare Nurse and a chilling figure who called himself The Giggler.

Show notes: HUBhistory.com/056

**Ep55: The Boy Fiend, Boston's Youngest Serial Killer (Nov 20, 2017)** Nov 20, 2017
Show notes

Jesse Pomeroy was a Victorian era serial killer who stalked the streets of Boston. He predated Jack the Ripper by a decade, and the Boston Strangler by almost a century. At only 14 years old, he was known as the Boy Fiend, a child who tortured and killed his fellow children, becoming Boston’s youngest serial killer.

Show notes: HUBhistory.com/055

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