Portrait of John Hancock by John Singleton Copley (Wikipedia)
(Graphic by the NewBostonPost)
A list of significant dates in New England history:
Jan. 12
Isabella Stewart Gardner by John Singer Sargent
1588:John Winthrop, the first Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, is born in Suffolk, England. 1737:John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress, first signer of the Declaration of Independence, and first elected governor of Massachusetts is born in Braintree, Massachusetts. 1865:John Singer Sargent, who made frequent visits to the Bay State to paint portraits of important Bostonians (such as Isabella Stewart Gardner), is born in Tuscany.
Jan. 15
Aftermath of the molasses mishap (AP)
1697: Massachusetts Bay Colony holds a day of fasting and prayer, known as The Day of Official Humiliation, in honor of the victims of the Salem Witch Trials. 1919: A storage tank on Boston’s waterfront bursts, releasing a 2-million gallon, 15-foot high flood of molasses that races through the North End, killing 21 people and injuring 150 more. 1929: Martin Luther King, Jr., who earned his Ph.D from Boston University in 1955 (after which, he was often referred to as Dr. King.), is born in Atlanta.
Jan. 17
Benjamin Franklin
1706: Benjamin Franklin, printer, publisher, scientist, diplomat, statesman, signer of both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution, is born in Boston.
Portrait of John Hancock by John Singleton Copley (Wikipedia) 
