Today is…
Patriots’ Day
Patriots’ Day is a holiday commemorating the battles of Lexington and Concord, which took place on April 19, 1775. The shots fired at these two cities on the outskirts of Boston were the first shots of the American Revolution. Following the war, Lexington Day and Concord Day began being celebrated in their respective cities. The cities later petitioned Massachusetts Governor Frederic Greenhalge to create a state commemoration. He created Patriots’ Day, which replaced Fast Day. It was first celebrated on April 19, 1894. The new holiday also originally commemorated the anniversary of the Baltimore riot of 1861, where some of the first bloodshed of the Civil War took place, and four members of the Massachusetts militia died. In 1938, the Massachusetts legislature passed a bill making the battles of Lexington and Concord the sole focus of the day.
