At the end of the 19th century, swamps draining along the banks of the Charles River was almost completed. This change allowed the town of Cambridge to expand eastward. As a result, the old coastal strip became known as the Old Port, or simply the Port. Along these shores, there is a beautiful embankment, along which it is pleasant to jog or walk. The parks located in these places today are fraught with amazing ancient stories. For example, the sewing machine was invented in 1846 by Elias Howe, Jr. at 55 Cherry Street in Port, Cambridge. Howe patented this invention. The famous Isaac Singer - the king of sewing machines, paid Howe patent royalties. In addition, the Port area of Cambridge was the site of the first telephone conversation between Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson on October 9, 1876. Watson was in the Porto office, and Bell was in the Cambridge Street office in Boston.
Photo [By John Phelan - Own work, CC BY 3.0] (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15550587)
This short walk through Harvard and Cambridge will introduce us to some of the most iconic sites of a renowned world university. First, we learn how the student fraternity introduced a unit of measurement equal to the height of the director of the Institute of Standards. Next, we will visit the most famous bookstore. Next, we will learn how the fate of the ancient tomes and the death of the Titanic are connected. Finally, let's touch on the history of creating a sewing machine and a telephone and end the trip in the town of Watertown - one of the first colonies of New England, notorious for the terrorist attack on the Boston Marathon.
Don't be afraid to get lost in new places!
