Post by sader1970 on Jun 7, 2022 14:42:15 GMT -5
The T&G has been running a series of interesting and/or arcane facts about Worcester to celebrate its 300 years. Some have a bearing on Holy Cross, some not, but it is Holy Cross' hometown. Through the first 100 of an eventual 300, here are some of the ones that I found interesting:
Holy Cross won the College World Series in 1952. Coached by Jack Barry, the Crusaders beat Missouri, 8-4, at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha to cap a 6-1 run in the NCAA playoffs and 21-3 overall season record.
Basketball once took center stage at the Worcester Auditorium. The main floor was fitted with a court over the years, hosting all levels of basketball, including Holy Cross. The Bay State Bombardiers, coached by Celtic great Dave Cowens, played home games at The Aud.
The noted smiley face first grinned in Worcester. Harvey Ball, a freelance artist hired by State Mutual Life Assurance to develop an image for the company in 1963, delivered a simple smiley face — two eyes and mouth. The image became, and remains, part of popular culture.
Lunch carts, once the preferred home of overnight diners, were a popular Worcester-made product at the turn of the 20th century. The Worcester Lunch Car Co. was one of the better-known manufacturers, turning out 651 cars from 1906 to 1907 at its plant on Quinsigamond Avenue — opposite one of its own diners, the Miss Worcester.
J. Lee Richmond pitcher the first perfect game in Major League Baseball history on June 12, 1880. He played for the Worcester Ruby Legs. The game was played at the Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds.
Three-decker homes were said to have roots in Worcester. Francis Gallagher was the builder. [My grandparents and mother lived in one]
The Blackstone Canal, mostly the work of Irish laborers, was completed in 1828, linking Worcester and Providence.
Worcester is the second-largest city in New England, behind Boston. According to the 2020 census numbers, Worcester had a population of 206,518, ahead of Providence at 190,934.[paging rf1 ]
Worcester was incorporated as a town on June 14, 1722. On Feb. 29, 1848 Worcester was incorporated as a city. Some note the date and refer to Worcester as a Leap Year City.
Worcester's first TV station, WWOR-TV Channel 14, signed on Dec. 4, 1953, from its studio atop Asnebumskit Hill in Paxton. With no standard UHF tuners on TV sets at that time, the station drew few viewers and went dark Sept. 5, 1955. Channel 14 signed on again as WJZB-TV in 1958 but went dark permanently after a station fire in 1969.
Worcester is known for its seven hills: Pakachoag, Sagatabscot, Hancock, Chandler, Green, Bancroft and Newton. [I never knew all those names but I bet B+ McCann did!]
The first Ryder Cup golf competition was played at Worcester Country Club. The United States team, captained by Walter Hagen, triumphed over Great Britain, 9½ to 2½ in 1927.
Tony Randall, best known as playing Felix on the ABC’s “The Odd Couple,” once worked as a radio announcer on WTAG 580 AM in downtown Worcester and resided on William Street.
During a 1789 goodwill tour of New England, George Washington's coach stopped at the Old South Meeting House, where City Hall now stands. The trip headed out of Worcester via Shrewsbury, moving around the upper Lake Quinsigamond.
Candlepin bowling was invented in 1880 in Worcester by Justin White, who ran a billiards hall on Pearl Street. The pins were originally 1 inch thick and later modified to nearly 3 inches thick. Popular primarily in New England, the game gave rise to more than a dozen bowling alleys in Worcester (including several downtown) and the "Bay State Bowling" TV show on Worcester's WSMW-TV 27, hosted by Bob Fouracre. Today, no candlepin lanes operate in the city. [Shoutout to the late Mr. 4acre]
Interstate 290, originally called the Worcester Expressway, opened in sections in the late 1960s. A five-mile segment between Brosnihan Square in Worcester and Route 20 in Auburn, a $20 million piece of the larger project, opened with great fanfare in November. Gov. John A. Volpe was part of a motorcade that took the ceremonial first trip on the new roadway. [Surprised no mention of the deadly overpass collapse. Maybe a later fact]
Many people refer to the location of College of the Holy Cross as Mount St. James. At one time, the hilly spot was called Pakachoag Hill. Others referred to it as Baggachoag Hill. [I must not know the right people - never heard that. Phreek, want to change your alias?]
Long before a youth baseball league carried his name, Jesse Burkett lived on Grove Street in the late 1880s. He came to the city to play minor league baseball. He made it to the Major Leagues, where he hit 55 inside-the-park home runs. The record remains. On July 21, 1947, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Tom Poti of Worcester played in the NHL All-Star Game on Feb. 2, 2003, becoming the first native of the city to be in the game. Poti was with the New York Rangers at the time.
Long before the WooSox moved into Polar Park, Worcester's Jigger Statz left a curious mark on minor league baseball. The 1918 graduate of Classical High in Worcester played in 2,790 minor league games.
Basketball once took center stage at the Worcester Auditorium. The main floor was fitted with a court over the years, hosting all levels of basketball, including Holy Cross. The Bay State Bombardiers, coached by Celtic great Dave Cowens, played home games at The Aud.
The noted smiley face first grinned in Worcester. Harvey Ball, a freelance artist hired by State Mutual Life Assurance to develop an image for the company in 1963, delivered a simple smiley face — two eyes and mouth. The image became, and remains, part of popular culture.
Lunch carts, once the preferred home of overnight diners, were a popular Worcester-made product at the turn of the 20th century. The Worcester Lunch Car Co. was one of the better-known manufacturers, turning out 651 cars from 1906 to 1907 at its plant on Quinsigamond Avenue — opposite one of its own diners, the Miss Worcester.
J. Lee Richmond pitcher the first perfect game in Major League Baseball history on June 12, 1880. He played for the Worcester Ruby Legs. The game was played at the Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds.
Three-decker homes were said to have roots in Worcester. Francis Gallagher was the builder. [My grandparents and mother lived in one]
The Blackstone Canal, mostly the work of Irish laborers, was completed in 1828, linking Worcester and Providence.
Worcester is the second-largest city in New England, behind Boston. According to the 2020 census numbers, Worcester had a population of 206,518, ahead of Providence at 190,934.[paging rf1 ]
Worcester was incorporated as a town on June 14, 1722. On Feb. 29, 1848 Worcester was incorporated as a city. Some note the date and refer to Worcester as a Leap Year City.
Worcester's first TV station, WWOR-TV Channel 14, signed on Dec. 4, 1953, from its studio atop Asnebumskit Hill in Paxton. With no standard UHF tuners on TV sets at that time, the station drew few viewers and went dark Sept. 5, 1955. Channel 14 signed on again as WJZB-TV in 1958 but went dark permanently after a station fire in 1969.
Worcester is known for its seven hills: Pakachoag, Sagatabscot, Hancock, Chandler, Green, Bancroft and Newton. [I never knew all those names but I bet B+ McCann did!]
The first Ryder Cup golf competition was played at Worcester Country Club. The United States team, captained by Walter Hagen, triumphed over Great Britain, 9½ to 2½ in 1927.
Tony Randall, best known as playing Felix on the ABC’s “The Odd Couple,” once worked as a radio announcer on WTAG 580 AM in downtown Worcester and resided on William Street.
During a 1789 goodwill tour of New England, George Washington's coach stopped at the Old South Meeting House, where City Hall now stands. The trip headed out of Worcester via Shrewsbury, moving around the upper Lake Quinsigamond.
Candlepin bowling was invented in 1880 in Worcester by Justin White, who ran a billiards hall on Pearl Street. The pins were originally 1 inch thick and later modified to nearly 3 inches thick. Popular primarily in New England, the game gave rise to more than a dozen bowling alleys in Worcester (including several downtown) and the "Bay State Bowling" TV show on Worcester's WSMW-TV 27, hosted by Bob Fouracre. Today, no candlepin lanes operate in the city. [Shoutout to the late Mr. 4acre]
Interstate 290, originally called the Worcester Expressway, opened in sections in the late 1960s. A five-mile segment between Brosnihan Square in Worcester and Route 20 in Auburn, a $20 million piece of the larger project, opened with great fanfare in November. Gov. John A. Volpe was part of a motorcade that took the ceremonial first trip on the new roadway. [Surprised no mention of the deadly overpass collapse. Maybe a later fact]
Many people refer to the location of College of the Holy Cross as Mount St. James. At one time, the hilly spot was called Pakachoag Hill. Others referred to it as Baggachoag Hill. [I must not know the right people - never heard that. Phreek, want to change your alias?]
Long before a youth baseball league carried his name, Jesse Burkett lived on Grove Street in the late 1880s. He came to the city to play minor league baseball. He made it to the Major Leagues, where he hit 55 inside-the-park home runs. The record remains. On July 21, 1947, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Tom Poti of Worcester played in the NHL All-Star Game on Feb. 2, 2003, becoming the first native of the city to be in the game. Poti was with the New York Rangers at the time.
Long before the WooSox moved into Polar Park, Worcester's Jigger Statz left a curious mark on minor league baseball. The 1918 graduate of Classical High in Worcester played in 2,790 minor league games.