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March 3

March 3

March 3 is the 62^nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (63rd in leap years). There are 303 days remaining.

Events

- 1431 - Eugenius IV becomes Pope.
- 1639 - The early settlement of Taunton, Massachusetts was incorporated as a town.
- 1791 - The United States Mint is created by the U.S. Congress.
- 1820 - The U.S. Congress passes the Missouri Compromise.
- 1845 - Florida is admitted as the 27th U.S. state.
- 1845 - For the first time the U.S. Congress passes legislation overriding a presidential veto.
- 1849 - Minnesota Territory organized as a political division of the United States.
- 1849 - The United States Department of the Interior is established.
- 1849 - The U.S. Congress passes the Gold Coinage Act allowing the minting of gold coins.
- 1857 - France and the United Kingdom declare war on China.
- 1863 - Idaho Territory organized as a political division of the United States.
- 1865 - The U.S. Congress authorizes formation of the Freedmen's Bureau.
- 1873 - Censorship: The U.S. Congress enacts the Comstock Law, making it illegal to send any "obscene, lewd, or lascivious" books through the mail.
- 1875 - The first ever organized indoor game of ice hockey was played in Montreal, as recorded in The Montreal Gazette.
- 1877 - Rutherford B. Hayes is privately inaugurated as the 19th President of the United States (his public inauguration coming on March 5).
- 1878 - Bulgaria regains its independence from Ottoman Empire.
- 1879 - The United States Geological Survey is created.
- 1885 - The American Telephone and Telegraph Company is incorporated in New York State as a subsidiary of American Bell Telephone. (American Bell would later merge with its subsidiary.)
- 1891 - The Penalty Spot Kick rule in Soccer is concieved, but does not come into effect until the next season
- 1904 - Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany becomes the first person to make a sound recording of a political document, using Thomas Edison's cylinder.
- 1905 - Tsar Nicholas II of Russia agrees to create an elected assembly (the Duma).
- 1910 - Rockefeller Foundation: J.D. Rockefeller Jr. announces his retirement from managing his businesses so that he could devote full time to being a philanthropist.
- 1915 - NACA, the predecessor of NASA founded.
- 1918 - Germany, Austria and Russia sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk ending Russia's involvement in World War I, and leading to the independence of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
- 1923 - TIME magazine is published for the first time.
- 1931 - The United States officially adopts "The Star-Spangled Banner" as its national anthem.
- 1933 - Mount Rushmore National Memorial is dedicated.
- 1938 - Glenn Cunningham breaks the world record for the indoor mile run by completing the distance in 4 minutes, 4.4 seconds.
- 1938 - Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia.
- 1939 - In Mumbai, Mohandas Gandhi begins to fast in protest of the autocratic rule in India.
- 1940 - Five people are killed in a arson attack on the offices of the communist newspaper Norrskensflamman in Luleå, Sweden.
- 1943 - World War II: In London, 173 people are killed in a crush while trying to enter an air-raid shelter at Bethnal Green tube station.
- 1944 - The Order of Nakhimov and Order of Ushakov were instituted in USSR as the highest naval awards.
- 1945 - World War II: Previously neutral Finland declares war on the Axis powers.
- 1945 - World War II: Hundreds of people die in The Hague after the Royal Air Force mistakenly bombs a civilian area in the city.
- 1949 - The Tucker Automobile Corporation folds.
- 1953 - A Canadian Pacific Comet Jet crashes in Karachi, Pakistan killing 11.
- 1955 - Elvis Presley appears on television for the first time.
- 1957 - In Frankfurt. Germany, Corry Brokken wins the second Eurovision Song Contest for the Netherlands singing "Net als toen" (Like it used to be).
- 1958 - Nuri as-Said becomes the prime minister of Iraq for the 14th time.
- 1959 - The San Francisco Giants officially name their new stadium Candlestick Park.
- 1961 - Hassan II becomes King of Morocco.
- 1969 - Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 9 to test the lunar module.
- 1969 - In a Los Angeles, California court, Sirhan Sirhan admits that he killed presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy.
- 1971 - Beginning of Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and India's official entry to the Bangladesh Liberation War in support of Mukti Bahini
- 1972 - The space probe Pioneer X is launched by NASA.
- 1973 - Presidents Rule introduced in the Indian state of Orissa.
- 1974 - A Turkish DC-10 crashes at Ermenonville near Paris, killing all 346 aboard.
- 1974 - Roman Catholic and Lutheran officials reach an agreement for eventual reconciliation into one communion, marking the first agreement between the two churches since the Reformation.
- 1976 - Fleetwood Mac records Rumours, which will be a blockbuster album in 1977.
- 1978 - Charles Chaplin's remains are stolen from Cosier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland but are recovered 11 weeks later near Lake Geneva.
- 1985 - Censorship: Women Against Pornography award their "Pig Award" to Huggies Diapers, claiming that the television ads had "crossed the line between eye-catching and porn."
- 1991 - An amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers.
- 1995 - In Somalia, the United Nations peacekeeping mission ends.
- 1997 - The tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere, Sky Tower in downtown Auckland, New Zealand, opens after two-and-a-half years of construction.
- 1999 - LaGrand case: The State of Arizona executes Walter LaGrand, a German despite German legal action in the International Court of Justice.
- 1999 - Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones begin their successful attempt to circumnavigate the world in a hot air balloon without stopping.
- 2001 - A U.S. Air Force Materials Command C-23 Sherpa transport crashes during stormy weather in the U.S. state of Georgia, killing 21.
- 2001 - A bomb explodes outside BBC Television Centre in London. The attack was attributed to dissident Irish Republican terrorists.
- 2002 - Citizens of Switzerland narrowly vote in favour of their country becoming a member of the United Nations.
- 2005 - Mayorthorpe Massacre: Four members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are gunned down during a drug bust near Mayorthorpe, Alberta in the worst attack on the RCMP since 1885 and the North-West Rebellion.
- 2005 - Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly an airplane around the world solo without any stops without refuelling - a journey of 40,234 km/25,000 mi completed in 67 hours and 2 minutes.
- 2005 - The freighter M/V Karen Danielsen, crashes into part of the Great Belt Bridge of Denmark, 800 m from Funen. All traffic across the bridge stops, effectively separating Denmark in two.

Births

- 1455 - King John II of Portugal, (d. 1495)
- 1520 - Matthias Flacius, Croatian protestant reformer (d. 1575)
- 1583 - Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury, English diplomat, poet, and philosopher (d. 1648)
- 1589 - Gisbertus Voetius, Dutch theologian (d. 1676)
- 1606 - Edmund Waller, English poet (d. 1687)
- 1652 - Thomas Otway, English dramatist (d. 1685)
- 1805 - Jonas Furrer, first President of the Swiss Confederation, (d. 1861)
- 1831 - George Pullman, American inventor and industrialist, (d. 1897)
- 1839 - Jamshedji Tata, Indian industrialist (d. 1904)
- 1845 - Georg Cantor, German mathematician, (d. 1918)
- 1847 - Alexander Graham Bell, Scottish inventor (d. 1922)
- 1863 - Arthur Machen, Welsh-born author (d. 1947)
- 1873 - William Green, American labor union leader (d. 1952)
- 1886 - Fred A. Busse, Mayor of Chicago (d. 1914)
- 1886 - Tore Ørjasæter, Norwegian poet (d. 1968)
- 1893 - Beatrice Wood, American artist and ceramicist (d. 1998)
- 1895 - Ragnar Anton Kittil Frisch, Norwegian economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)
- 1895 - Matthew Ridgway, Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, U.S. Army Chief of Staff (d. 1993)
- 1911 - Jean Harlow, American actress (d. 1937)
- 1918 - Arthur Kornberg, American biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- 1918 - Fritz Thiedemann, German equestrian (d. 2000)
- 1920 - Julius Boros, American golfer (d. 1994)
- 1920 - James Doohan, Canadian-born actor (d. 2005)
- 1920 - Ronald Searle, English illustrator
- 1922 - Nándor Hidegkuti, Hungarian footballer
- 1923 - Barney Martin, American actor
- 1923 - Doc Watson, American musician
- 1926 - Lys Assia, Swiss singer
- 1926 - Joseph Anthony Ferrario, American Catholic prelate
- 1926 - James Merrill, American poet (d. 1995)
- 1930 - Heiner Geißler, German politician
- 1930 - Ion Iliescu, President of Romania
- 1933 - Lee Radziwill, American fashion executive
- 1937 - Bobby Driscoll, American actor (d. 1968)
- 1940 - Germán Castro Caycedo, Colombian writer and journalist.
- 1940 - Perry Ellis, fashion designer (d. 1986)
- 1945 - George Miller, Australian film director
- 1946 - John Virgo, English snooker player
- 1947 - Jennifer Warnes, American singer and songwriter
- 1947 - Miyamoto Teru, Japanese author
- 1949 - Jüri Allik, Estonian psychologist
- 1949 - Gloria Hendry, American actress
- 1950 - Tim Kazurinsky, American actor and comedian
- 1953 - Robyn Hitchcock, English musician
- 1953 - Zico, Brazilian footballer
- 1955 - Andy Breckman, American comedian and radio personality
- 1958 - Miranda Richardson, English actress
- 1959 - Ira Glass, American radio host
- 1962 - Jackie Joyner-Kersee, American athlete
- 1962 - Herschel Walker, American football player
- 1966 - Tone-Loc, American musician
- 1970 - Julie Bowen, American actress
- 1973 - Victoria Zdrok, Ukrainian model
- 1974 - David Faustino, American actor
- 1977 - Ronan Keating, Irish singer
- 1981 - Lil' Flip, American rapper
- 1982 - Jessica Biel, American actress
- 1988 - Ian i-Pod Bengson, Bassist of The Two Tens

Deaths

- 1111 - Bohemund I, Prince of Antioch
- 1239 - Vladimir III Rurikovich, Grand Prince of Kiev (b. 1187)
- 1459 - Ausiàs March, Catalan poet (b. 1397)
- 1554 - John Frederick, Elector of Saxony (b. 1503)
- 1703 - Robert Hooke, English scientist (b. 1635)
- 1706 - Johann Pachelbel, German composer (b. 1653)
- 1707 - Aurangzeb, Mughal Emperor of India (b. 1618)
- 1717 - Pierre Allix, French protestant pastor (b. 1640)
- 1744 - Jean Barbeyrac, French jurist
- 1765 - William Stukeley, English archaeologist (b. 1687)
- 1768 - Nicola Porpora, Italian composer (b. 1686)
- 1792 - Robert Adam, Scottish architect (b. 1728)
- 1850 - Oliver Cowdery, American religious leader (b. 1806)
- 1927 - Mikhail Artsybashev, Russian writer (b. 1878)
- 1932 - Eugen d'Albert, German composer (b. 1864)
- 1937 - Amelia Earhart, American pilot (disappeared)
- 1943 - George Thompson, English cricketer (b. 1877)
- 1959 - Lou Costello, American actor and comedian (b. 1906)
- 1961 - Paul Wittgenstein, Austrian-born pianist (b. 1887)
- 1966 - William Frawley, American actor (b. 1887)
- 1966 - Maxfield Parrish, American artist (b. 1870)
- 1966 - Alice Pearce, American actress (b. 1917)
- 1982 - Georges Perec, French writer (b. 1936)
- 1983 - Hergé, Belgian comics creator (b. 1907)
- 1983 - Arthur Koestler, Austrian writer (b. 1905)
- 1987 - Danny Kaye, American actor, singer, and comedian (b. 1913)
- 1988 - Sewall Wright, American biologist (b. 1889)
- 1990 - Gérard Blitz, Belgian waterpoloist and entrepreneur (b. 1912)
- 1991 - Arthur Murray, American dancer and dance instructor (b. 1895)
- 1993 - Carlos Marcello, Tunisian-born gangster (b. 1910)
- 1993 - Albert Sabin, Polish-born medical researcher (b. 1906)
- 1994 - Howard W. Hunter, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1907)
- 1996 - Marguerite Duras, French writer (b. 1914)
- 1996 - John Cardinal Krol, American Catholic clergyman (b. 1910)
- 1998 - Fred Friendly, American broadcast executive (b. 1915)
- 1999 - Gerhard Herzberg, German-born chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
- 2001 - Louis Edmonds, American actor (b. 1923)
- 2002 - Harlan Howard, American musician (b. 1927)
- 2003 - Hank Ballard, American singer (b. 1907)
- 2003 - Horst Buchholz, German actor (b. 1933)
- 2003 - Peter Smithson, English architect (b. 1923)
- 2003 - Goffredo Petrassi, Italian composer (b. 1904)
- 2005 - Max M. Fisher, American philanthropist (b. 1928)
- 2005 - Rinus Michels, Dutch football coach (b.1928)

Holidays and observances

- Hinamatsuri - Japanese celebration day for girls.
- Malawi - Martyr's Day
- Bulgaria - National Day

External links

- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/3 BBC: On This Day]
- [http://www.tnl.net/when/3/3 Today in History: March 3] ---- March 2 - March 4 - February 3 - April 3 -- listing of all days ko:3월 3일 ms:3 Mac ja:3月3日 simple:March 3 th:3 มีนาคม

March 3

March 3 is the 62^nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (63rd in leap years). There are 303 days remaining.

Events

Births

Deaths

Holidays and observances

- Hinamatsuri - Japanese celebration day for girls.
- Malawi - Martyr's Day
- Bulgaria - National Day

External links

1431

Events

- February 21 - The trial of Joan of Arc
- March 3 - Eugenius IV becomes Pope
- May 30 - In Rouen, France, 19-year old Joan of Arc is burned at the stake.
- Foundation of University of Poitiers
- Battle of Inverlochy

Births

- January 1 - Pope Alexander VI (died 1503)
- Vlad III Dracula, Prince of Wallachia (died 1476)
- William Elphinstone, Scottish statesman (died 1514)
- William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings (died 1483)
- John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu, English politician (died 1471)

Deaths

- January 25 - Charles I, Duke of Lorraine (born 1364)
- February 20 - Pope Martin V (born 1368)
- May 30 - Joan of Arc, French soldier and saint (born 1412)
- Thomas de Ros, 9th Baron de Ros, English nobleman (born 1403)
- Makhdoom Ali Mahimi, Indian Sufi mystic
- Stanislaw of Skarbimierz, Polish theologian (born 1360) Category:1431 ko:1431년 simple:1431

Pope Eugenius IV

Eugenius IV, né Gabriele Condulmer (1383 – February 23, 1447) was pope from March 3, 1431 to his death on 23 February, 1447. He was born in Venice to a rich merchant family, a Correr on his mother's side. Condulmer entered the Celestine order and came into prominence during the pontificate of his uncle, Pope Gregory XII, by whom he was appointed bishop of Siena, where the political class objected to a 24-year old bishop who was a foreigner. So the issue was not pressed and he resigned the appointment, becoming instead his uncle's papal treasurer, protonotary, Cardinal Priest of St Marco and St Clemente, and later Cardinal Priest of Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere. He made himself useful to Pope Martin V and was quickly elected to succeed him, and was crowned at St. Peter's, March 11, 1431. By a written agreement made before his election he agreed with the cardinals to distribute to them one-half of all the revenues of the Church and promised to consult with them on all questions of importance, both spiritual and temporal. Upon taking the Papal Chair, his violent measures against the numerous Colonna relations of his predecessor, Pope Martin V (Otto di Colonna), who had rewarded his numerous clan with castles and lands, at once involved him in a serious contest with the powerful house of Colonna that nominally supported the local rights of Rome against the interests of the Papacy. A truce was soon arranged. But by far the most important feature of Eugenius's pontificate was the great struggle between the pope and the Council of Basel, part of the historic Conciliar movement. On July 23, 1431, his legate opened the council, which had been convoked by Martin, but, distrustful of its purposes and emboldened by the small attendance, the pope issued a bull on December 18, 1431, dissolving the council and calling a new one to meet in eighteen months at Bologna. The council resisted this premature expression of papal prerogative, as it appeared to the majority of them. Eugenius' action gave some weight to the contention that the Curia was opposed to any authentic measures of reform. The council refused to dissolve; instead they renewed the revolutionary resolutions by which the Council of Constance had declared a council superior to the pope, and cited Eugenius to appear at Basel. A compromise was arranged by Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, who had been crowned emperor at Rome on May 31, 1433. By its terms the pope recalled his bull of dissolution, and, reserving all the rights of the Holy See, acknowledged the council as ecumenical (December 15, 1433). The establishment of an insurrectionary republic at Rome drove him into exile in May 1434. Disguised in the robes of a monk, he was rowed down the center of the Tiber, pelted by stones from either bank, to a Florentine vessel waiting to pick him up at Ostia. Although the city was restored to obedience by Giovanni Vitelleschi, the militant Bishop of Recanati, in the following October, the Pope remained at Florence and Bologna. Meanwhile the struggle with the council sitting at Basel broke out anew. Eugenius at length convened a rival council at Ferrara on January 8, 1438, and excommunicated the prelates assembled at Basel. The result was that the Council of Basel suspended him on January 24, 1438, then formally deposed him as a heretic on June 25, 1439, and in the following November elected the ambitious Amadeus VIII, duke of Savoy, antipope under the title of Felix V. The conduct of France and Germany seemed to warrant this action, for Charles VII of France had introduced the decrees of the council of Basel, with slight changes, into France through the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges (July 7, 1438), and the Diet of Mainz had deprived the pope of most of his rights in the Empire (March 26, 1439). At Florence, where the council of Ferrara had been transferred on account of an outbreak of the plague, was effected in July 1439 a union with the Eastern Orthodox Church, which, as the result of political necessities, proved but a temporary bolster to the papacy's prestige. This union was followed by others of even less stability. Eugenius signed an agreement with the Armenians on November 22, 1439, and with a part of the Jacobites in 1443, and in 1445 he received the Nestorians and Maronites. He did his best to stem the Turkish advance, pledging one-fifth of the papal income to the crusade which set out in 1443, but which met with overwhelming defeat. His rival, Felix V, meanwhile, obtained small recognition, and the latter's ablest adviser, the humanist Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini, who was later to be Pope Pius II, made peace with Eugenius in 1442. The pope's recognition of the claims to Naples of King Alfonso V of Aragon withdrew the last important support from the divided council of Basel, and enabled Eugenius to make a victorious entry into Rome on the 28th of September 1443, after an exile of nearly ten years. His protests against the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges were ineffectual, but by means of the Concordat of the Princes, negotiated by Piccolomini with the electors in February 1447, the whole of Germany declared against the antipope. Although his pontificate had been so stormy and unhappy that he is said to have regretted on his deathbed that he ever left his monastery, nevertheless Eugenius' victory over the council of Basel and his efforts on behalf of church unity contributed greatly to break down the conciliar movement and restore the papacy to the dominant position it had held before the Great Schism. Eugenius was dignified in demeanour, but inexperienced and vacillating in action and excitable in temper. Bitter in his hatred of heresy, he nevertheless displayed great kindness to the poor. He laboured to reform the monastic orders, especially the Franciscan, and was never guilty of nepotism. Although austere in his private life, he was a sincere friend of art and learning, and in 1431 he re-established the university at Rome. He died on February 23, 1447.

Reference

References

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- Eugenius 4 Eugenius 4 Eugenius 4 Eugenius 4 ko:교황 에우제니오 4세 ja:エウゲニウス4世 (ローマ教皇)

1639

Events

- January 14 - Connecticut's first constitution, the "Fundamental Orders," is adopted.
- January 23 - Francisco Maldonado de Silva, Peruvian Jewish poet, executed by burning at the stake
- March 13 - Harvard University is named for a clergyman named John Harvard.
- November 24 - Jeremiah Horrocks observes the transit of Venus.
- Charles I starts the first of the Bishops Wars against Scotland.
- The Casiquiare canal, a river forming a natural canal between the Amazon River and Orinoco River basins, is first encountered by Europeans.
- The Barbados House of Assembly meets for the first time.
- The first printing press in North America is started in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- Russian Cossacks advance over Urals to Pacific, to Okhotsk.
- Montreal first settled.

Births

- February 6 - Daniel Georg Morhof, German writer and scholar (d. 1691)
- June 21 - Increase Mather, American minister (d. 1723)
- September 17 - Hans Herr, Swiss-born Mennonite bishop (d. 1725)
- September 29 - Lord William Russell, English politician (d. 1683)
- December 22 - Jean Racine, French dramatist (d. 1699)
- Yair Bacharach, German rabbi (d. 1702) See also :Category:1639 births.

Deaths

- January 20 - Mustafa I, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1592)
- January 24 - Georg Jenatsch, Swiss politician (b. 1596)
- May 21 - Tommaso Campanella, Italian theologian and poet (b. 1568)
- June 1 - Melchior Franck, German composer
- July 18 - Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar, German general (b. 1604)
- August 4 - Juan Ruiz de Alarcón, Mexican dramatist
- August 20 - Martin Opitz von Boberfeld, German poet (b. 1597)
- September 20 - Johannes Meursius, Dutch classical scholar (b. 1579)
- October 28 - Stefano Landi, Italian composer (b. 1587)
- November 7 - Thomas Arundell, 1st Baron Arundell of Wardour, English politician
- November 26 - John Spottiswoode, Scottish historian (b. 1565) See also :Category:1639 deaths. Category:1639 ko:1639년

Taunton, Massachusetts

Taunton is a city located in Bristol County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 55,976. It is the county seat of Bristol County. Hub of the Greater Taunton Area, Taunton is currently the largest city, geographically, in Massachusetts.

History

Taunton was founded in 1637 by Elizabeth Poole, and officially incorporated as a town on March 3, 1639. Most of the town's settlers were from Taunton, Somerset County, England. This led these early settlers to name the settlement after its (present-day) sister city. At the time of Taunton's incorporation, they explained their choice of name as being :in honor and love to our dear native country.... And owning it a great mercy of God to bring us to this place, and settling of us, on lands of our own bought with our money in peace, in the midst of the heathen, for a possession for ourselves and for our posterity after us. Taunton was incorporated as a city in 1864. The city once included many surrounding towns, including Norton, Easton, Mansfield, Dighton, Raynham, and Berkley. Possession of the latter is still noted by the naming of Taunton Hill in Assonet, which is now North Main Street and heads into Berkley. Prior to 1640, the Taunton area was called Cohannet. The British founders of Taunton purchased the land from the native Wampanoags. Wampanoags The Taunton area was the site of battles (on its soil or the surrounding area) during various conflicts, including King Philip's War and the American Revolution. Once a great industrial city, the "Silver City" was home to many silversmithingoperations, including the Taunton Silversmiths and the F.B. Rogers Silver Co. Various other industries operated throughout the city into the third quarter of the 20th century.

Songs

In early maps of Taunton during the mid 19th century, the prominent Taunton neighborhood of East Taunton was designated on the map as to the reference name of "Squawbetty." SONG OF SQUAWBETTY VERSE: :Our pleasant little river town,
:This Indian tale has handed down;
:And all the years have proved it true;
:If you should live the winter through,
:Till herrings run and spring returns,
:Then you shall live till autumn burns
:The summer verdure from the tree,
:In elm-arched street of Squawbetty. CHORUS: :In Squawbetty, the winds blow free,
:O'er valleys green by Taunton stream;
:Where sea gulls, wheeling in the sun,
:Dip low to scream: "The herring run!"
:So spring has come and all is well
:In Squawbetty, while our hearts swell
:With thanks, another spring to be,
:Alive in dear old Squawbetty. VERSES: :Tis herring time in Squawbetty;
:And tho we wander far from thee,
:To travel half the world around.
:Come March, nostalgic thoughts rebound,
:That Patrick's Day must herald spring,
:In Squawbetty, where herrings bring
:The first sure sign that winter ends,
:Our homesick hearts, this mirage mends. Writer Unknown

Accomplishments

- Elizabeth Poole was the first business woman, with the Iron Forge or Bloomery in 1652.[http://www.bostoninnovation.org/]
- First display of "Liberty and Union" on a flag. It occurred on the Taunton Green in 1774.[http://www.bostoninnovation.org/]
- First forge (James and Henry Leonard, Taunton, 1652) for first business woman.[http://www.bostoninnovation.org/]
- First known calico printworks in America was in the city. [http://www.oldcolonyhistoricalsociety.org/]
- The Vietnam Memorial Fountain was the first public Vietnam memorial in Massachusetts.[http://www.oldcolonyhistoricalsociety.org/]
- First stoneware pottery in Massachusetts.[http://www.oldcolonyhistoricalsociety.org/]
- First town founded by a woman (Elizabeth Poole in 1637) [http://www.bostoninnovation.org/]
- Old Colony Historical Society is one of New England's oldest historical societies.[http://www.oldcolonyhistoricalsociety.org/]
- Taunton is the largest city in terms of square mileage in Massachusetts.[http://www.oldcolonyhistoricalsociety.org/]
- At one time, Taunton was one of the busiest inland seaports on the Atlantic coast.[http://www.oldcolonyhistoricalsociety.org/]
- It was in Taunton that Babbitt metal, used in the manufacture of ball bearings, was invented.[http://www.oldcolonyhistoricalsociety.org/]
- Liberty and Union Flag is called by some "the first American flag." [http://www.oldcolonyhistoricalsociety.org/]
- Taunton River is the first Massachusetts Heritage River. [http://www.oldcolonyhistoricalsociety.org/]

Geography

Babbitt metal Taunton is located at 41°54'5" North, 71°5'37" West (41.901491, -71.093628). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 124.2 km² (48.0 mi²). 120.7 km² (46.6 mi²) of it is land and 3.5 km² (1.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.81% water. Taunton has one major river, the Taunton River, alongside with its tributaries such as Mill River. These rivers are within the Taunton River Watershed. Another river in Taunton is the Three Mile River. In October, 2005, Taunton made national and international news when the Whittenton Pond Dam threatened to fail following a week that brought nine inches of rain to the city. It is estimated that if the dam failed, the Mill River could send up to six feet of water into the downtown area. In response, Governor Mitt Romney ordered an immediate inspection of high-risk dams throughout the Commonwealth. Mitt Romney There are nine designated historic districts within the city:
- Bay Road Historic District, which is also known as Post Road; road from Taunton to Boston (1300 acres (5.3 km²), 1 structure, 2 objects)
- Bristol County Courthouse Complex (13 acres, 3 buildings)
- Church Green Historic District is also known as Meetinghouse Common (160 acres, 18 buildings, 1 object)
- Hopewell Mills District (120 acres, 13 buildings)
- Old Bay Road Historic District is also known as The Post Road; The King's Highway (150 acres, 1 structure, 3 objects)
- Reed and Barton Historic District
- Taunton Green Historic District (50 acres, 22 buildings, 3 objects)
- Taunton State Hospital Historic District is also known as the Taunton Lunatic Asylum (1250 acres (5.1 km²), 38 buildings, 8 structures)

Demographics

Mitt Romney As of the census of 2000, there are 55,976 people, 22,045 households, and 14,483 families residing in the city. The population density is 463.7/km² (1,201.1/mi²). There are 22,908 housing units at an average density of 189.8/km² (491.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 91.67% White, 2.74% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.59% from other races, and 2.21% from two or more races. 3.93% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 22,045 households out of which 32.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% are married couples living together, 13.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% are non-families. 28.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.50 and the average family size is 3.09. In the city the population is spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.2 males. The median income for a household in the city is $42,932, and the median income for a family is $52,433. Males have a median income of $36,895 versus $27,686 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,899. 10.0% of the population and 8.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 13.9% of those under the age of 18 and 11.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. The neighborhoods in Taunton are East Taunton, Oakland, the Weir, Westville, and Whittenton.

Government

poverty line poverty line The city has a Mayor-Council form of government. Aside from that, it also has a School Committee and many boards & commissions. As the seat of Bristol County, Taunton is home to the county's few administrative offices and several of its courthouses, including the Bristol County Superior Courthouse, at right.

Politics

Taunton has been a hotbed area of local, state, and national American politics for centuries. Many famous political or politically-controversial events occurred in Taunton's long history. This city was the first in Colonial America to have been founded by a woman (Elizabeth Poole). Robert Treat Paine was a long-time Taunton resident and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Part of King Phillip's War was fought on Taunton's limits. Former U.S. presidents, such as former President Harry S. Truman, gave campaign speeches in Taunton. The city's former Camp Myles Standish during WWII was a prisoner-of-war camp, a welcoming area for about a million U.S. & Allied soldiers; and a candidate site for the U.N. Headquarters, soon after the military camp closed. Although the city hasn't been as much of a hotbed of politics as it once was, it still continues to be a politically active region of the state of Massachusetts.

Municipal holiday

- Liberty & Union Day

Economy

Taunton is famous for its long history of fine silversmithing. The city was once known for its shipbuilding. The renowned Reed & Barton produced the 1996 Summer Olympics medals and exclusively-used silverware for the White House. Also, the city produced the anchor for the USS Constitution. The nearby town of Raynham produced the anchor for the Civil War-era ironclad USS Monitor. Today, the city has a been a semiconductor, silicon, and electronics hub in the region and is one of the most industrially diverse areas of the state. It is home to corporate headquarters of many leading corporations in various industries. Currently, the city is trying to attract bio-research companies to its industrial parks.

Media and communications

Taunton is served by several publications including the Silver City Bulletin, Taunton Call, and the Taunton Daily Gazette. Some of the major Internet providers in Taunton are Comcast, EarthLink, SBC Yahoo! Dial, and Verizon. TMLP is an Internet sevice provide based in Taunton). The two radio stations based in Taunton are WPEP 1570 AM and WSNE 93.3 FM. Taunton has local cable television channels which include the Taunton Educational Network (channel 9), Taunton Local Access (channel 15), and Taunton Municipal Network (channel 17).

Transportation

WPEP 1570 AM] Taunton is the central highway hub of southeastern Massachusetts. Much of the eastern part of the state's major highways intersect and/or runs through the city, especially at its center. US 44, MA 138, and MA 140 intersect at a square at Taunton's center, which is called the Taunton Green. I-495 runs through the northern portion of Taunton, unofficially referred to as "North Taunton", and parallel to Myles Standish Industrial Park, Taunton's main industrial park, and Norton Commerce Center in nearby Norton. MA 140 is accessible from I-495 by using the the "Bay Street Exit 9" exit and going through the Myles Standish Industrial Park. MA 140 is also accessible from the eastern neighborhood of the city, popularly referred to as "East Taunton." Various smaller routes run through other parts of the city. These include a small portion of MA 104, close to the Taunton-Raynham city limits, and MA 79, close to the Taunton-Berkley-Lakeville (Plymouth County) city-town-county limits. Taunton is the western terminus of MA 104. It merges into US 44 after entering the city. In neighboring Raynham is Route 24, which is off of US 44, MA 138, and I-495 in Raynham and MA 140 in (East) Taunton. MA 140

Outgoing Routes (from Taunton)	Neighboring destination	Neighboring destination
(by numerical/alphabetical order)	(by bordering municipality)	(by bordering municipality)
	North-Bound	South-Bound

- Route 24	Raynham	Berkley
- Route 79	Lakeville	Berkley
- Route 138	Raynham	Dighton
- Route 140	Norton	Lakeville
- I-495	Norton	Raynham

Outgoing Routes (from Taunton)	Neighboring destination	Neighboring destination
(by numerical/alphabetical order)	(by bordering municipality)	(by bordering municipality)
	East-Bound	West-Bound

- US-44	Raynham	Dighton
- Route 104	Norton	Taunton (west terminus)

Culture

Taunton Taunton The city is serviced by a central public library, the Taunton Public Library, which opened in 1903 and has undergone several expansions and renovations since that time. Also of note is the Old Colony Historical Society, which archives the city and region's past. :See also: Published works about Taunton

Education

Colleges and universities
- Bristol Community College (Taunton Satellite Campus) at Taunton High School Career schools
- [http://www.beautyschoolsdirectory.com/schools/robroy_taunton/ RobRoy Academy] - beauty school
- [http://www.wagnerairways.com/taunton/ Wagner Airways] - flight school

Private schools

Preschools
- [http://www.fallriverdiocese.org/education.asp?display=nursery Villa Fatima Pre School] Elementary schools
- [http://www.privateschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/13224 Our Lady Of Lourdes School]
- [http://www.privateschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/13398 St. Mary's Primary School] Middle schools
- [http://www.catholicmiddle.com/ Taunton Catholic Middle School] High schools
- [http://www.coylecassidy.com/ Coyle and Cassidy High School]

Public schools

Preschools
- [http://www.tauntonschools.org/barnum/ Barnum Preschool] Elementary schools
- [http://www.tauntonschools.org/bennett/home2/index.html Bennett Elementary School]
- [http://www.tauntonschools.org/chamberlain/index.htm Chamberlain Elementary School]
- [http://www.tauntonschools.org/etes/Index.htm East Taunton Elementary School]
- [http://www.tauntonschools.org/galligan/index.html Galligan Elementary School]
- [http://www.tauntonschools.org/Taunton/School%20Address.htm#anchor969293 Hopewell Elementary School]
- [http://www.tauntonschools.org/leddy/index.htm Leddy Elementary School]
- [http://www.tauntonschools.org:16080/maxham/ Maxham Elementary School]
- [http://www.tauntonschools.org/Taunton/School%20Address.htm#anchor1048743 Pole Elementary School]
- [http://www.tauntonschools.org/Taunton/School%20Address.htm#anchor1051674 Summer Street School (kindergarton-only)]
- [http://www.tauntonschools.org/walker/index/ Walker Elementary School] Middle schools
- [http://www.tauntonschools.org/friedman/index.html Friedman Middle School]
- [http://www.tauntonschools.org/Martin/index.html Martin Middle School]
- [http://www.tauntonschools.org:16080/mulcahey/ Mulcahey Middle School]
- [http://www.tauntonschools.org/Parker/index.htm Parker Middle School] High schools
- [http://www.bptech.org/ Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School]
- Taunton High School

Historical photo gallery

Image:Camp Myles Standish - A soldier being baptized in Watson Pond.jpg|A soldier being baptized in Watson Pond Image:Camp Myles Standish - Camp Myles Standish Chapel.jpg|Camp Myles Standish - Camp Myles Standish Chapel Image:Camp Myles Standish - Hospital Area at Camp.jpg|Camp Myles Standish - Hospital Area at Camp Image:Camp Myles Standish - Main gate at Camp Myles Standish.jpg|Camp Myles Standish - Main gate at Camp Myles Standish Image:Camp Myles Standish - Map of Camp Myles Standish.jpg|Camp Myles Standish - Map of Camp Myles Standish Image:Camp Myles Standish - Soldiers line up for chapel service.jpg|Camp Myles Standish - Soldiers line up for chapel service Image:Camp Myles Standish - Stockade at Camp Myles Standish.jpg|Camp Myles Standish - Stockade at Camp Myles Standish Image:Taunton Savings Bank and Taunton Police buildings.jpg|An old photo of the former Taunton Savings Bank and Taunton Police Department buildings Image:2 dollars bill The Taunton bank Taunton Massachusetts August 12 1856.jpg|An old 2-dollar (possibly counterfeit) bill at the former The Taunton Bank in Taunton Image:An old sketch of the Taunton Green 01.jpg|An old sketch of the Taunton Green in the early 20th-century Image:(old) Taunton post office postcard.jpg|An old postcard of the former Taunton Post Office Image:Taunton Massachusetts - Oakland - The Moonbeam Restaurant on Route 140.jpg|Oakland - The Moonbeam Restaurant on Route 140 Image:Taunton Massachusetts - Oakland - Ernie Wetherell's General Store & Post Office.jpg|Oakland - Ernie Wetherell's General Store & Post Office Image:Taunton Massachusetts - Whittenton - Doherty's Market on Bay Street.jpg|Whittenton - Doherty's Market on Bay Street Image:Taunton Massachusetts - Whittenton - Original Lafayette Club.jpg|Whittenton - Original Lafayette Club Image:Taunton Massachusetts - Whittenton - Beauvais Bike Shop.jpg|Whittenton - Beauvais Bike Shop Image:Taunton Massachusetts 1875.jpg|An 1875 map of Taunton, Massachusetts Image:Taunton Massachusetts - Oakland - 1881 map of Oakland.jpg|Oakland - 1881 map of Oakland Image:Taunton old post office.jpg|A sketch of the former Taunton post office Image:Taunton Massachusetts - Oakland - Saint Paul's Church opened in 1904.jpg|Oakland - Saint Paul's Church op