53 Boston Facts They Never Taught You In School

1. It’s illegal to drive around with a Gorilla in the back seat of your car in Boston. 2. While there are 850 restaurants in Boston, only 40 serve fast food. 3. Bruschi the Boston terrier holds the record for having the largest puppy eyes, each at 28mm in diameter. 4. In 1970 a bill was almost passed that would have legalized prostitution in certain parts of Boston. 5. In the 1600s, celebrating Christmas was banned in Boston, as early pilgrims felt as if traditions had heavy ties to paganism. 6. Don’t get your sick friend drunk, it’s against the law to give anyone in the hospital alcoholic beverages in Boston. 7. It doesn’t get more Boston than Chris Evans, known for his most recent role of playing the overly patriotic Captain America on the silver screen. 8. An old-timey duel is allowed in Boston, as long as it is overseen by the Governor. 9. Professional wrestler and Bostonian, John Cena, has been making rap music since 2005, with his most popular song being “The Time Is Now.” 10. Two Bostonians cannot legally kiss in front of a church or eat peanuts inside. 11. Crossing the Boston Common was once illegal unless one was carrying a shotgun due to frequent bear attacks. 12. Boston has the nickname “the Athens of America” thanks to its more than 100 higher learning institutions in the city. 13. More than 75 percent of Boston’s population is under 45, making it one of the youngest cities in the country. 14. More than five miles of neon tubing is used in the Citgo sign at Kenmore Square 15. The Boston Common was the first public park in America. 16. Though it’s called a “Boston cream pie”, this dessert is in fact a cake. It’s also the official dessert dish of the state. 17. 70 percent of Bostonians rent their homes, rather than buying property, making it one of the most popular places to rent in the country. 18. You can get fined for snoring too loudly in Boston unless all bedrooms windows are closed. 19. During the Boston Molasses Flood of 1919, 2.3 million gallons of this sticky substance flooded the streets of North End, killing 21 people and injuring 150. 20. Prior to making his famous night ride, Paul Revere made some money on the side as a dentist known for fashioning new teeth for his patients out of animal bones and ivory. 21. The first woman put to death for “being a witch” in America was Boston midwife Margaret Jones, accused in 1648 of making her patients sicker with potions. 22. Boston’s Damnation Alley is only 7 feet wide and is named for the frequent cursing that occurred when pushcart peddlers would collide. 23. There are over 60 Dunkin’ Donuts in Boston. 24. If students aren’t included in the population, only around 600,000 people reside in Boston, with students, it’s much closer to 1 million. 25. The world’s largest Van Der Graff Generator is at Boston’s Museum of Science, able to produce huge lightning bolts above onlookers’ heads. 26. New England clam chowder costs an average of $4.40 a bowl in Boston. 27. The giant milk bottle outside of the Boston Children’s Museum would be capable of holding 58,620 gallons of milk. 28. In 1990, two thieves posing as police officers stole more than $500 million worth of art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, making it the largest single art theft in history. 29. MIT inventor created the disposable razor blade in 1901, which was built into Gillette. 30. The Boston Red Sox hold a patent for the shade of green that covers the Green Monster. It’s known as “Fenway Green.” 31. Bostonian Mark Wahlberg, famous for his underwear models, good vibrations, and intense action sequences got in trouble with Boston Police Department 20-25 times during his youth. 32. Boston’s Revere Beach was the first public beach in America. 33. The golden pinecone a top of Boston’s State House pays tribute to the importance of logging during the 1700s. 34. It’s illegal to wear women’s heels in excess of 3 inches in various spots around Boston. 35. Known worldwide for songs like “Last Dance” and “I Feel Love,” Donna Summers was a Bostonian. 36. The Polaroid Corporation was developed out of Cambridge and a “juggernaut of innovation” by the Boston Globe in 1937. 37. The birth control pill was created at Clark University. 38. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in his Boston lab. 39. The Boston University Bridge is the only place in the world in which a boat can sail under a train that’s travelling under a car that’s driving beneath a plane in flight. 40. It’s illegal to make your clam chowder with tomatoes in it in Boston. 41. Work days used to be several hours longer, until Boston ship carpenters set a precedent for an 8-hour day in 1842, a trend that slowly caught on. 42. Famous for being a 40 year-old virgin and the world’s best boss, Steve Carell is a Bostonian. 43. It’s against the law to take Sunday baths in Boston city limits. 44. There are laws restricting fiddle playing in Boston. 45. The first spreadsheet was invented by two men studying at MIT. 46. Roughly 13 acres of glass make up the John Hancock Tower. 47. Originally, Boston was called Tremontaine, named after three hills that could be seen from the Shawmut Peninsula. It was renamed in 1630 and the only remaining hill is now known as Beacon Hill. 48. Boston’s got nine sister cities in the countries of Japan, France, Spain, China, Italy, Australia, Taiwan, Ghana, and the U.K. 49. Aerosmith calls Boston home. 50. Somewhat unoriginal, the band “Boston,” known for songs like “More Than A Feeling,” is also from Boston. 51. With over 13 percent of its residents walking to work, more people commute by this means in Boston than in any other major American city. 52. The Ted Williams Tunnel is the deepest in the continent at 90 feet below the surface. 53. Boston was the first major city to implement a secret ballot system during elections.