history in the headlines Archives - Cambridge

Fear and fellowship: Cambridge’s response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks

by Beth Folsom of History Cambridge September 14, 2026

Cantabrigians from all walks of life were struggling the morning of Sept. 12, 2001, but soon began to seek ways of uniting their diverse, multicultural city.

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‘Cambridge is a Tiny Cuba’: Harvard and the Cuban teachers’ expedition of 1900

by Beth Folsom of History Cambridge August 24, 2026

Four ships landed on July 4, 1900, and more than 1,200 Cuban teachers came to Cambridge. One remarked that “Cambridge es Cuba chiquita” (“Cambridge is a tiny Cuba”).

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The history of the future, predictions from the past, included a Cambridge with only 60,000 residents

by Beth Folsom of History Cambridge June 29, 2026

A city of 60,000 people, “atomic factories,” women “of skirtly grace and draped modesty” and a much expanded MBTA were predicted at Cambridge anniversaries.

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As America held down or kept out Asian immigrants, Harvard hired a Chinese professor in 1879

by Beth Folsom of History Cambridge May 18, 2026

The presence in Cambridge was a curiosity and a sign of Harvard’s increasing awareness of the place China was to occupy on the world stage.

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Save Dana Park turns a public space into a game board May 30

by Beth Folsom of History Cambridge May 11, 2026

The game is designed to bring players into the story of Dana Park past and present, stopping a phony deed scam before the villain takes the land away.

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Reeling from a president’s assassination, we said political violence was not the answer to the country’s struggles

by Beth Folsom of History Cambridge May 4, 2026

Cantabrigians channeled their anger over Lincoln's killing, many seeing it as a symbol of a larger struggle between the forces of good and evil.

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Debate over Fugitive Slave Act raises questions of ‘lawful authority’

by Beth Folsom of History Cambridge April 6, 2026

The federal mandate for Northern states to enforce the proslavery agenda of Southern states fueled the fires of division before the Civil War.