Springfield Trivia:

• Springfield is the home of Shays' Rebellion, a key event leading to the Federal Constitutional Convention.
• Springfield is the birthplace of basketball, where in the late 1800s, a physical education teacher invented the sport at the Springfield YMCA to fill the gap between the football and baseball seasons.
• The Baseketball Hall of Fame is located in Springfield.
• The first use of interchangeable parts and the assembly line in manufacturing occured in Springfield.

New Bedford Trivia:

• The history of New Bedford pre-dates the Pilgrims of Plymouth by 18 years when it was explored by English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold.
• Nicknamed "The Whaling City" because it was, during the 19th century, one of the most important whaling ports in the world.
• New Bedford is the home of the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the country's largest museum on the subject of whaling and the history of interaction between humans and whales.

Holyoke Trivia:

• Once recognized as the "Queen of Industrial Cities" and the "Paper City of the World", Holyoke was a powerhouse in the industrial revolution.
• The sport of volleyball was invented in Holyoke on February 9, 1895 by William G. Morgan.
• Holyoke is home to the Volleyball Hall of Fame.
• Holyoke was one of the first planned industrial communities in the United States.
• Holyoke is home to the second largest annual Saint Patrick's Day Parade in the nation.

Programs:

Fitchburg Trivia:

• Fitchburg was founded by Amos Kimball, Samuel Hunt, and John Fitch who chose the name "Fitchburg" because it was synonymous with heroism.
• Located on the Nashua River, Fitchburg became known as a manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution.
• Fitchburg is the birthplace of NASCAR brothers Ken and Ron Bouchard.
• Fitchburg is noted for the Rollstone Boulder.
• The 1961 movie, 'Return to Peyton Place' was filmed in Fitchburg.

Worcester Trivia:

• Worcester is the home of TRA's first training site and corporate headquarters.
• Worcester is known as the "Heart of the Commonwealth," thus, a heart is the official symbol of the city.
• The first national Women's Rights Convention was hosted in Worcester in 1850.
• The first radio station to play a Beatles song in the United States was WORC in Worcester.
• The birth control pill was invented at Clark University in Worcester.

Brockton Trivia:

• Brockton is known as the "City of Champions" because it is home to two of Boxing’s “World Champions,” Rocky Marciano and Marvelous Marvin Hagler.
• Brockton was named one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People in the United States in 2005, 2008 and 2010 by America's Promise Alliance.
• During the Civil War, Brockton was the nation's largest producer of shoes.
• Brockton is the home of the Brockton Rox, a minor league baseball team.
• Thomas Edison built the first model of a complete central power station in Brockton.

Quincy Trivia:

• Quincy is the birthplace of the second and sixth U.S. Presidents, John Adams and his son, John Quincy Adams, as well as Statesman, John Hancock.
• The first Dunkin Donuts was opened in 1950 in Quincy by William Rosenberg.
• Quincy is the location of Granite Railyway, the "first commercial railroad" in the United States which was built to carry granite from Quincy to a dock on the Neponset River in Milton. From there boats carried the heavy stone to Charlestown for construction of the Bunker Hill Monument.

Salem Trivia:

• The Salem Maritime National Historic Site was the first American National Historic Site to be designated by Congress.
• Salem was the center of Puritanism in America.
• Nicknamed "The Witch City", Salem is home to the Salem Witch Trials.
• American novelist and short story writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne, was born in 1804 in the city of Salem.
• Salem is the birthplace of the National Guard.
• The game of Monopoly was first published in Salem by Parker Brothers.