Massachusetts: Did You Know This About Massachusetts
Posted on August 28th, 2009 by Sandi Renteria
posted under: Fifty Fabulous States
Did you Know?
Massachusetts(MA, Mass., US-MA) Plymouth Rock, 
where the Pilgrims landed in 1620 is now the size of a coffee table. It was broken and dragged around Plymouth during the Revolutionary War, and then scraped by 19th-century souvenir hunters.
John Adams was born in Braintree (now Quincy) on October 30, 1735. He was the 2nd US President, serving from 1797-1801.
John Quincy Adams was born in Braintree (now Quincy) on July 11, 1767. Hew as the 6th US President, serving from 1825-1829.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born in Brookline on May 29, 1917. He was the 35th US President, serving from 1961-1963.
George Herbert Walker Bush was born in Milton on June 12, 1924. He was the 41st US President, serving from 1989-1993.
552 original documents pertaining to the Salem witch trials of 1692 have been preserved and are still stored by the Peabody Essex Museum.
Boston built the first subway system in the United States in 1897.
In Holyoke, William G. Morgan, created a new game called "Mintonette" in 1895. 
After a demonstration given at the YMCA in nearby Springfield, the name "Mintonette" was replaced with the now familiar name "Volleyball."
There is a house in Rockport built entirely of newspaper.
The Fig Newton was named after Newton, Massachusetts.
The Basketball Hall of Fame is located in Springfield.
In 1634, Boston Common became the first public park in America.
In 1891, the first basketball game was played in Springfield.
Quincy boasts the first Dunkin Donuts on Hancock Street and the first Howard Johnson's on Newport Ave.
Glaciers formed the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard during the ice age.
The first U.S. Postal zip code is Massachusetts is 01001 at Agawam.
The birth control pill was invented at Clark University in Worcester.
The Mather school was founded in Dorchester in 1639. It is the first public elementary school in America.
John Adams and John Quincy Adams are buried in the crypt at the United First Parish Church in Quincy.
The Boston Tea Party reenactment takes place in Boston Harbor every December 16th.
The first Thanksgiving Day was celebrated in Plymouth in 1621.
The first nuclear-powered surface vessel, USS Long Beach CG (N) 9, was launched at Quincy in 1961.
The USS Constitution 'Old Ironsides',
the oldest fully commissioned vessel in the US Navy is permanently berthed at Charlestown Navy Yard. Since 1897 the ship has been overhauled several times in Dry Dock 1.
Acushnet is the hometown of the Titleist golf ball company.
Massachusetts State Flag: 
Massachusetts’ flag depicts a Native American carrying a bow and arrow on the blue shield (all on a white background). A white start on the shield represents Massachusetts, one of the original 13 states. The state motto (in Latin and written in yellow on a blue ribbon) reads “ENSE PETIT PLACIDAM SUB LIBERTATE QUIETEM,” meaning “By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty.” Above the shield is a arm wielding a sword (demonstrating the state motto).
Massachusetts Origin of Name: Massachusetts was named for an Algonquian Indian word that means “at or about the great hill.”
Massachusetts Motto: “Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem” – By the sword we seek peace only under liberty.
Massachusetts Nickname: Bay State, Old Colony State
Capital City: Boston
State Area: 10,555 square miles
State Population: 6,497,967 (est. 2008)
Admission to Statehood: February 6, 1788, 6th state
Major Industries: Textiles, electronics, publishing, education, tourism, fishing
State Environments: Coast, Plains
State Bird: Black-Capped Chickadee
State Dog: Boston Terrier
State Horse: Morgan Horse
State Tree: American Elm
State Flower: Mayflower (also called the ground laurel or trailing arbutus)
State Gem: Rhodonite
State Song: All Hail to Massachusetts
Elevation:Highest Point – Mt. Greylock 3,491 feet above sea level
Lowest Point – Atlantic Ocean 0 feet above sea level
Time Zone: Eastern: GMT (GreenwichMeanTime) GMT -5/-4
Average Annual Rainfall: 59.74 inches