Boston Light is a lighthouse located on Little Brewster Island in outer Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. The first lighthouse to be built on the site dates back to 1716, and was the first lighthouse to be built in what is now the United States. The current lighthouse dates from 1783. It is the second oldest working lighthouse in the United States (after Sandy Hook Lighthouse in New Jersey) and is the only lighthouse to still be actively staffed by the United States Coast Guard despite its automation in 1998. The structure was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964.
First lighthouse is built in North America (Boston)
Boston Light is a lighthouse located on Little Brewster Island in outer Boston Harbor, Massachusetts.
Historical Significance
Boston Light is a lighthouse located on Little Brewster Island in outer Boston Harbor, Massachusetts.
Events Before
King Louis XIV of France dies after a reign of 72 years, the longest of any major European monarch
Louis XIV (5 September 1638 – 1 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great (Louis le Grand [lwi lə ɡʁɑ̃]) or the Sun King (le Roi Soleil [lə ʁwa sɔlɛj]), was King of France from 1643 until his...
Pocotaligo Massacre of four South Carolina representatives triggers the start of the Yamasee War in colonial South Carol
Pocotaligo Massacre of four South Carolina representatives triggers the start of the Yamasee War in colonial South Carolina
English Astronomer John Flamsteed observes Uranus for 6th time
English Astronomer John Flamsteed observes Uranus for 6th time
Brandenburg-Prussia joins the Russian-led anti Swedish alliance by declaring war on Sweden during the Great Northern War
In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by Russia successfully contested the supremacy of Sweden in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe.
King Philip V, unifies the Kingdom of Castile and the Kingdom of Aragon into a single state - the Kingdom of Spain.
The Kingdom of Galicia was a political entity located in southwestern Europe, which, at its territorial zenith, occupied the entire northwest of the Iberian Peninsula.
Events After
George Frideric Handel's "Water Music" premieres repeatedly on a barge cruising the River Thames in London
George Frideric Handel's "Water Music" premieres repeatedly on a barge cruising the River Thames in London
Netherlands, Great Britain & France sign Triple Alliance
The Triple Alliance was a defence pact signed on 4 January 1717 in The Hague between the Dutch Republic, France and Great Britain, against Bourbon Spain in an attempt to maintain the agreements of...
Prussian King Frederik Willem I buys conscript for nobles
Prussian King Frederik Willem I buys conscript for nobles
German mob leader and thief "Sjako" sentenced to death in Amsterdam
German mob leader and thief "Sjako" sentenced to death in Amsterdam
Henri d'Aguesseau is first appointed Chancellor of France
Henri François d'Aguesseau, seigneur de Fresnes was Chancellor of France three times between 1717 and 1750 and was pronounced by Voltaire to be "the most learned magistrate France ever possessed".
More from the 1710s
Parisian merchant Jean Marius obtains a five-year royal privilege for his invention of a folding umbrella, the first in
Parisian merchant Jean Marius obtains a five-year royal privilege for his invention of a folding umbrella, the first in Europe
Typewriter patented by Englishman Henry Mill (built years later)
Typewriter patented by Englishman Henry Mill (built years later)
Russian Tsar Peter the Great officially marries Polish-Lithuanian pre-marriedeasant Martha Skavronskaya at Saint Isaac's
Russian Tsar Peter the Great officially marries Polish-Lithuanian pre-marriedeasant Martha Skavronskaya at Saint Isaac's Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, having earlier married in secret in 1707
In the Battle of Helsingborg, 14,000 Danish invaders under Jørgen Rantzau are decisively defeated by an equally sized Sw
In the Battle of Helsingborg, 14,000 Danish invaders under Jørgen Rantzau are decisively defeated by an equally sized Swedish force under Magnus Stenbock
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on September 6, 1716?
- Boston Light is a lighthouse located on Little Brewster Island in outer Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. The first lighthouse to be built on the site dates back to 1716, and was the first lighthouse to be built in what is now the United States. The current lighthouse dates from 1783.
- Why is First lighthouse is built in North America (Boston) significant?
- Boston Light is a lighthouse located on Little Brewster Island in outer Boston Harbor, Massachusetts.