Neither The Boston Globe nor the internet existed in the 1700s. But this past holiday weekend, in celebration of the Semiquincentennial (try saying that five times fast), the newspaper took a liberty of its own: imagining what its home page might have looked like on July 4, 1776. The entire page is a sepia-toned delight that you should take a few minutes out of your day to go through, but a few standouts include:
A “Patriot Starting Lineup” of John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and John Adams.
Transit woes, in the style of the 18th century:
How is traversing Boston, not much larger than one mile square, still so maddening? To leave this peninsula by carriage requires crossing Boston Neck, that narrow, swampy strip of land beset by wind and waves. In spring, the water reaches a horse’s knees. The crowded ferry to Charlestown is not a pleasant alternative. But at least the ferrymaster has restored late-night service to 9 p.m. now that British curfews are ended.
A weather report of two days of “fine weather” followed by “lightning very hard.”
A prescient “comment” from “TartanArmyColonel”: “Think you Bostonians enjoy your ale? Wait until you meet a thirsty Scotsman.”
War reporting from the far reaches of…Staten Island.
A remembrance for Crispus Attucks, the man of African and Wampanoag descent who was the first person killed in the Boston Massacre.
An essential public health report on the end of a smallpox inoculation ban, with some details that sound eerily familiar: “Today, some skeptics believe inoculation is as dangerous as the disease itself, despite evidence to the contrary…The treated may freely travel through Boston. But those who resist inoculation must stay locked inside at home, by order of town selectmen.”
One headline that will remain forever relevant: “Concord reliev’d to be free of Harvard students.”
And, finally, a correction — easier to fix in 2026 than in 1776:
We must correct a most unfortunate error: An earlier version of this story said a British official described John Adams as “incendiary.” In fact, the official maligned Samuel Adams. We apologize, with reddened faces.
According to a press release from the Boston Globe, the 1776 series — which included a four-page spread “styled after an 18th-century newspaper” in the July 3 print issue — runs through the end of the month.
