Massachusetts Favorites

Basketball

•Basketball was adopted as the state sport in 2006.

•In 1891, in Springfield, MA, Dr. James Naismith founded the game because he was looking for a sport for students to play inside during the cold winter months.

•The first basketball game was played with a soccer ball and two peach baskets used as goals.

•The backboard was added to keep fans sitting behind the hoop from reaching out and handling the ball.

The Ladybug

•The ladybug was adopted as the state insect in 1974 thanks to a second grade class in Franklin, MA.

•It helps gardeners by eating about 60 aphids a day.

•It is also the state bug in New York, Ohio, New Hampshire, and Tennessee.

•Ladybugs are also called summer beetles.

Boston Cream Pie•The Boston Cream Pie was adopted as the state dessert in 1996.

•A Civics class from Norton High School was the first to suggest the Boston Cream Pie as the state dessert.

•It is really a cake, not a pie, made of yellow cake, with a custard-cream filling, and chocolate frosting.

•It was originally created by Chef Sanzian, at the Parker House Hotel in Boston when it opened in 1856.

The Cod•The cod fish was adopted as the state fish in 1974.

•In 1602, Cape Cod got its name from the large amount of cod fish found there.

•The Sacred Cod is a five foot long carving of a cod, and it has hung in the State House for over 200 years.

•The cod was the cause of the rapid growth of the fishing industry in Massachusetts.

Benjamin Franklin

•Benjamin Franklin was named the state inventor in 2006.

•In addition to being a statesman, he is credited with inventing bifocal glasses, the Franklin stove, the lightning rod, and the odometer.

•His most important discovery was that lightning and electricity are the same thing. His invention of the lightning rod saved many buildings and ships from lightning damage.

•In his old age, he invented a tool to help him grab books on high shelves. The long arm was a wooden pole with a grasping claw at the end.

1706-1790

The Tabby Cat

•The Tabby cat was adopted as the state cat in 1988.

•A tabby cat’s coat can have stripes, dots, or swirling patterns, usually with an “M” marked on its forehead.

•Their patterns allow them to camouflage themselves so they can easily hide from predators.

•The Pilgrims first introduced tabby cats to North America.

The Chickadee•The black capped chickadee was adopted as the state bird on March 21, 1941.

•It is a member of the tit mouse family, and grows to be about 4-5 inches long, with a tail half its length.

•It eats both plants and animals.

•In cold weather, the chickadee can lower its body temperature 10-15 degrees.

•It is also that state bird of Maine.

The Cranberry•The cranberry was adopted as the state berry in 1994.

•Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs.

•They are related to bilberries, blueberries, and huckleberries.

•Native Americans and Pilgrims used cranberries as a red dye, as well as food.

•Massachusetts produces millions of pounds of cranberries each year.

•The cranberry is one of only a handful of major fruits native to North America. Others include the blueberry and Concord grape.

The Boston Terrier

•The Boston Terrier was adopted as the state dog in 1979.

•The dog was originally developed as a fighting dog in Boston.

•It lives as long as 15 years, and can weigh as much as 24 pounds.

•It is brown and white or black and white, loves to play, and is a great companion.

The American Elm•The American Elm was adopted as the state tree on March 21, 1941.

•The bark is usually divided into several large pieces.

•This tree is a deciduous tree, which means that it loses its leaves in the winter.

•You can find the American Elm in many states from Florida to Canada.

The Mayflower•The mayflower was adopted as the state flower on May 1, 1918.

•MA students chose the mayflower over the water lily as the official state flower.

•It is a fragrant flower with pink or white blossoms and hairy leaves.

•It is also known as ground laurel, or trailing arbutus.

•The mayflower grows in the woods, beneath evergreens, and prefers sandy or rocky soil.

•Since 1925, it has been on the endangered list.

The Native Turkey

•The wild turkey was adopted as the state game bird in 1991.

•It is also the official state symbol of Alabama and South Carolina.

•By the early 1900’s, the wild turkey had disappeared for a while due to over killing and habitat destruction.

•Today there are over 7 million wild turkeys in the U.S.

The Right Whale•The Right Whale was adopted as the state marine mammal in 1980.

•They spend most of their life in shallow waters near the bays.

•It was named right whale by whalers about 800 years ago. because they swim slowly, close to the surface, and close to shore, it made them the “right” whale to hunt.

•All right whales are endangered and have been protected since 1949.

Johnny Appleseed

•Johnny Appleseed was adopted as the state folk hero in 1996.

•John Chapman was born in Leominster, MA, and is the person Johnny Appleseed is modeled after.

•Chapman planted apple trees on the western side of New York and Pennsylvania.

•In the 1800s, he was the first one to explore the rich, fertile soil of the Great Lakes and the western Ohio River.

Plymouth Rock•Plymouth Rock was adopted as the state historical rock in 1983.

•It is a symbol to mark the spot where the Pilgrims on the Mayflower first came onto land.

•When the rock was moved to make room for a wharf, it split in half. Half of it stayed in the ground, but the other half was moved about 650 feet away.

•While it was being moved, several pieces were taken and sold.

The Chocolate Chip Cookie•The chocolate chip cookie was adopted as the state cookie on July 9, 1997.

•The first chocolate chip cookie was made by mistake by Ruth Wakefied, the owner of the Toll House Inn in Boston. She was out of baker’s chocolate, and substituted Nestle’s semi-sweet chocolate.

•Chocolate chip cookies are the biggest selling cookies in the U.S. today.

•The chocolate chip cookie is also the state cookie of Pennsylvania.

Make Way for Ducklings•Make Way for Ducklings was written in 1941, and was adopted as the state’s children’s book in 2003

•It is the story of a family of ducks looking to make a home in the Boston Public Garden, the first public garden in the U.S.

•It won the Caldecott Medal in 1942, and has sold over 2 million copies.

•In 1987, a bronze sculpture was placed in Boston Public Garden in honor of the book.

References and Resources• http://www.proflowers.com/flowerguide/massachusetts/

• http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=mg2terminal&L=5&L0=Home&L1=State+Government&L2=About+Massachusetts&L3=Interactive+State+House&L4=History+Resources&sid=massgov2&b=terminalcontent&f=interactive_statehouse_fun_facts&csid=massgov2

• http://www.50states.com/massachu.htm

• http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Massachusetts/state_symbols.html

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Massachusetts_state_symbols

• http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/ma_symb.htm

• http://www.msp.umb.edu/symbols.html

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