Worcester History & Firsts

• Worcester, Massachusetts was host to the first national Women's Rights Convention in 1850.
• The launching of the first liquid fuel rocket took place in Worcester, led by "the father of modern rocketry," Robert Goddard (also a graduate of WPI).
• Worcester's Jesse Burkett Little League Allstars became the first team from Central Massachusetts to ever qualify for the Little League World Series in August 2002 - capturing the hearts of the city and indeed the entire Commonwealth in the process.
• The first radio station to play a Beatles song in the United States was WORC in Worcester.
• The first woman to serve in a President's cabinet was Frances Perkins of Worcester, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor.
• The first Bible and the first dictionary printed in the United States were in the 18th century, by Worcester's Isaiah Thomas, who also printed the largest newspaper of the time, the Massachusetts Spy.
• In 1847, the first commercial valentine was mass produced in Worcester by Esther Howland.
• The first ballpoint pen and the first typewriter were invented in Worcester, Massachusetts – a state known for its exceptional writers.
• Worcester is the home of the second oldest First Night celebration.