10 Things You Didn't Know About The History Of Massachusetts

We're actually a commonwealth, along with Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Technically, a commonwealth is a politically organized body of people which is under one government, while a state is a territory which is controlled and governed by a particular nation. It's really just a formal distinction, though – the commonwealths function just like the other 46 states.

For real. It was called the District of Maine, and wasn't granted statehood until 1820. The people of Maine campaigned for their independence from Massachusetts for years before the Missouri Compromise gave them a bittersweet victory – Maine would be admitted into the nation as a free state, while Missouri would gain statehood as a slave state.

Researchers at Clark University were influenced by the work of Margaret Sanger, who campaigned for the development of a contraceptive for poor women who were burdened by frequent pregnancies. The pill was approved by the FDA in 1960.

The concept may seem obvious today, but Clarence Birdseye was the first to introduce mass-produced frozen meals in 1925.

Twelve paintings worth over $100 million were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum on March 13, 1990. The thieves posed as Boston police officers and simply walked out with the artwork. Most of the pieces have never been recovered, and the museum is still offering a reward for information leading to their return.

Two armed men stopped a mail truck on August 14, 1962 and escaped with the contents: a cool $1.5 million in small bills. The money has never been recovered, and the crime has never been solved.

Beachgoers across the country have Massachusetts to thank for introducing the idea of a state-maintained seashore to the nation in 1895.

Before that, all you needed was a set of wheels.

The Sacred Cod has been the unusual emblem of Massachusetts for over 300 years. At four feet long and 80 pounds, the cod hangs in the State House House of Representatives chamber. A "Holy Mackerel" hangs in the Senate chamber.

It was approved in 1998. Listen here.