Boston’s Pickwick Disaster and the Dance of Death (episode 91)

On the evening of July 3, 1925, Boston’s Pickwick nightclub collapsed while couples packed the dance floor.  Dozens were trapped in the rubble, while firefighters, police, and laborers worked desperately to free them.  In the end, 44 people were killed and many more were injured.  A rumor circulated that the disaster had been caused by a popular dance called the Charleston.  This fake news soon became one of the most viral stories of the newspaper era, causing many cities to ban couples from dancing the Charleston.  This week’s show has it all
 dirty dancing, illegal speakeasies, and a heroic rescue effort.


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Love that Dirty Water (episode 90)

For many people, summertime in Boston means canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, fishing, and even swimming in the rivers that run through and around our city.  To celebrate the season this week we’re coming three classic episodes about industry, adventure, and romance on the water.  We’ll hear about the nearly 400 year history of corn, cotton, and condos on the Mother Brook; some late-nineteenth century fake news about Vikings on the Charles; and the early 20th century canoe craze that drove the state police to ban kissing in canoes on the Charles River.  Listen now!


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Boston’s Barons of the Sea (episode 89)

In this week’s episode, we sit down with author Steven Ujifusa to discuss his new book Barons of the Sea, and Their Race to Build the World’s Fastest Clipper Ship, which will be out this Tuesday, July 17.  Steven will tell us about 19th century drug smuggling, what it meant to trade for tea in China or gold in California, and why America’s most prominent families were involved in the shipping business. Most of all, he’ll tell us about the East Boston shipyard where Donald McKay built the fastest, most graceful ships the world had ever seen.  


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The Wreck of the Mary O’Hara (episode 88)

In January 1941, the two masted fishing schooner Mary O’Hara collided with a barge in Boston Harbor.   At least 18 sailors died in the ice cold waters of Boston Harbor, while they were almost in sight of their own homes.  Only five members of the crew managed to cling to the exposed mast for hours until help arrived.  At the time, headlines called it Boston Harbor’s worst disaster.


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Back Bay walking tour, July 8

In conjunction with this weekend’s History Camp Boston, I (Jake) am offering a walking tour of the Back Bay on Sunday, July 8.  We’ll meet at the corner of Beacon and Charles inside the gate of the Common at 10am.  Please register in advance or come see me at History Camp.

Details: The Back Bay is the Grande Dame of Boston’s neighborhoods. Here you will find fine dining, upscale shopping, and a grid of streets that actually makes sense. Looking around at the the cultural institutions located in Copley Square or the public art along the Commonwealth Avenue Promenade, it is hard to imagine that this area was once a trash and sewage filled lagoon. Continue reading Back Bay walking tour, July 8

The Charles River Esplanade (episode 87)

This week, over a half a million people from near and far will flock to the banks of the Charles River to celebrate our nation’s Independence Day.  Why did Boston decide to create new land dedicated to recreation along the river, and how did some of that land end up being used for a highway instead?  The story begins with the Storrow family.  Listen now!


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Immigration in Boston (episode 86)

In this week’s episode, we use three classic episodes to turn the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant rhetoric on its head. The President teaches us to be afraid of Central American and Middle Eastern immigrants and asylum seekers because of terrorism, crime, and an unfamiliar religion. Our ancestors had these same fears about earlier immigrant groups, groups that are today considered part of the fabric of America. In their day, Italian Americans were suspected of terrorism, Chinese Americans were blamed for organized crime, and Irish Americans were feared because of their unfamiliar and potentially dangerous religion.


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When Darkness Veiled the Sky (episode 85)

This week’s show relates three incidents across three centuries when daytime turned to darkness in the skies over Boston.  They weren’t solar eclipses.  Instead, they were a different natural phenomenon, one that was completely unpredictable and each time led to speculation that the end of the world was at hand.  


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The Broad Street Riot (episode 84)

The Broad Street Riot of 1837 was one of Boston’s many historical melees.  This one took place when a company of Yankee firefighters ran into an Irish funeral.  Despite our reputation as a coastal liberal enclave, Boston has a history of hostility towards newcomers.  When Irish immigrants began arriving in our harbor en masse, Yankee nativists welcomed them with violence and prejudice. Before long, a funeral procession in the wrong place at the wrong time led to a brawl with well over 10,000 participants and onlookers.


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