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How Boston is marking today's 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill
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It's the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill. And while we no longer get the day off as a paid holiday (thanks, Deval), there's a packed schedule of events today in Boston to commemorate what some call "the first true battle" of the Revolutionary War.
Happening today: Several days of anniversary events in Charlestown culminate this afternoon at the Bunker Hill Monument. The schedule includes a religious service, a procession and a remembrance ceremony featuring historians, a British commodore and — as WBUR's Amanda Beland reports — even some descendants of those who fought in the battle. " This is going to be quite the event," Tracie Thornburg, a Revolution 250 programmer for the National Park Service, told WBUR's Fausto Menard. That will be followed by a free Army band concert on the Esplanade at 7 p.m. and fireworks at the Navy Yard at 9:30 p.m. (See the full schedule of events here.)
- Why it matters: While British soldiers and minutemen traded the first shots of the Revolutionary War in Lexington and Concord in April 1775, those skirmishes didn't compare to the Battle of Bunker Hill two months later. More than 1,500 soldiers were killed or injured, and Charlestown was burned down. The British technically won the battle, but it rallied the 13 colonies to unite and fight back. "We know that shot heard 'round the world, of course, but the first battle actually happens here in Charlestown," Thornburg said.
- Later this week: Can't make today's events? An amphibious reenactment of the Battle of Bunker Hill is scheduled this weekend at Gloucester's Stage Fort Park. (Even though Charlestown did host a small bicentennial reenactment in 1975, organizers say there isn't enough space for what they want to do this year.)
- Did you know... the location where the battle happened (and where the monument now stands) is actually Breed's Hill? The real Bunker Hill is about a half mile away, toward Charlestown's border with Everett and Somerville. This classic Radio Boston segment has more on the myths and lore surrounding the battle.
Injunction junction: The judicial order blocking President Trump's move to prohibit international Harvard students from entering the U.S. will remain in effect for at least another week. Judge Allison Burroughs extended her temporary restraining order on Trump's proclamation yesterday, after lawyers for Harvard and the administration met in federal court in Boston. Burroughs hopes to have a decision by next week.
- The debate: Harvard's lawyers argued yesterday that Trump does not have the power to use entry requirements into the country as an "all-purpose hammer" to punish universities. Meanwhile, the sole lawyer representing the government argued Harvard's handling of pro-Palestinian student protests amounted to an unsafe campus for Jewish students and a national security threat.
- Zoom out: The latest order comes after the Trump administration also canceled billions of dollars in grants and threatened Harvard's tax-exempt status. Here's a look at all the ways the administration is trying to pressure colleges and universities.
On Beacon Hill: The MBTA is getting a big boost from Massachusetts' "millionaire's tax." State lawmakers announced a compromise yesterday to dedicate $535 million of the more than $1.3 billion in surplus revenue generated by the surtax to the T. State House News Service reports the extra state assistance is helping the MBTA close a budget gap exacerbated by reduced ridership following the COVID-19 pandemic. The spending deal could reach Gov. Maura Healey's desk by Wednesday.
- ICYMI: After her comments expressing openness to repealing or scaling back the millionaire's tax, Healey worked to clarify her support for the policy last week. "No, I don't support repealing the surtax," she told State House News Service.
The Boston Public Library's first-ever "summer readathon" starts today. The fundraiser, organized by the Boston Public Library Fund, invites participants of all ages to set individual reading goals based on either the number of books they read or the number of hours spent reading. Friends and family can sponsor them by pledging money for their progress.
- The goal is to raise $7,500 raised through the readathon, which runs through Aug. 25, to support summer reading programs for kids, English-language classes and immigration resource workshops.
Heads up: MassDOT is closing the I-93 northbound tunnel through Boston tonight at 11 p.m. until tomorrow morning at 5 a.m. for overnight maintenance work.
P.S.— In other British history/Harvard/library news, the Harvard Law School Library is celebrating its recently discovered rare copy of the Magna Carta with a virtual festival today. There will be panels, a mock debate and a medieval history quiz show. Livestream it here, starting at 10 a.m.
