The seminal battle of the Revolutionary War, as seen through a Globe photographer's lens
Send questions or suggestions to the Starting Point team at
. If you'd like the newsletter sent to your inbox,
.
TODAY'S STARTING POINT
Early on the morning of April 19, dawn's light revealed that all sides had come armed and ready.
British redcoats, marching in formation to the beat of a drum, wielded muskets tipped with bayonets, powder horns and cartridge boxes slung at their waists. The stern-faced militiamen blocking their advance, who had begun massing on the grassy common of the small town of Lexington earlier that morning, held guns of their own.
Advertisement
And about 20 feet away, perched on a riser, a Boston Globe photographer armed with a Canon 1D X Mark ll raised his camera and started shooting.
History remembers the 1775 battle of Lexington, sparked by a single shot of unknown origin, as the first military engagement of the American Revolution. For decades, reenactors on both sides have acted out the skirmish, an effort to stop the British Army from reaching a military supplies stockpile in the nearby town of Concord that left eight colonists dead.
Last month, the battle's 250th anniversary saw reenactors dressed as British regulars facing off against a motley crew of colonists before tens of thousands of spectators. Many of the reenactors there that day — like Michael Graves of Chelmsford, a University of Massachusetts Lowell biology professor
Advertisement
Luckily, John had a veteran of his own to consult: Joanne Rathe Strohmeyer, a now-retired colleague who photographed the Lexington reenactment for years. 'She told me it was going to go from darkness to dawn really quickly, which it did, and to just keep shooting when the troops raise their guns,' says John. 'The gun blast was loud and brilliant and she was so right.'
John took the above photo,
(For the photographers reading this: The ISO was 4000 and the shutter speed was 1/1000 at f-stop 2.8 using a 70-200 mm zoom lens at a focal length set of 70mm. John shot on automatic exposure using a 1-stop underexposure.)
That image isn't the only one from the Lexington reenactment in the Globe's April Photos of the Month. Another of John's shots —
Advertisement
Reenactments also weren't the only annual rites that Bostonians observed last month. In one of the Globe's other best photos, David Ryan captured a German runner named Marc Tortell starting off the 129th Boston Marathon in Hopkinton in high spirits, arms akimbo and orange hair spiked into a peppy crown. And there was Opening Day at Fenway Park, during which Stan Grossfeld photographed Hall of Famers Carl Yastrzemski and Carlton Fisk, members of the 1975 team, saluting fans.
Here are those celebratory photos from last month. I recommend checking out the rest of
Caption
Minutemen reenactors fired back at advancing British troops on Lexington Battle Green during the 250th anniversary of the historic first battle of the American Revolution.
(John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)
1
of
5
🧩 6 Across:
| ☀️ 72°
POINTS OF INTEREST
Lisa Boyce holds a photograph of her late husband, Kevin, who died of a tick-borne disease.
Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
Boston and Massachusetts
Health disparity:
Patients taking weight-loss drugs in Massachusetts
Hidden danger:
After a rare tick-borne virus killed her husband, she wants people to understand that illnesses transmitted by the pests
Kitty Dukakis:
A video of former governor Michael Dukakis
Mixed reviews:
After almost $19 million and two years of construction,
Hurry up and wait:
Speeding trains have gotten into accidents on the Green Line. But the T still
RIT in the T:
Rochester Institute of Technology is 400 miles from Boston, yet
Trump administration
Plane dealer:
The Trump administration plans to accept a luxury jet from Qatar to use as Air Force One, which critics said violates the Constitution's ban on foreign gifts. (
Trump's agenda:
House Republicans unveiled legislation that would cut Medicaid to help pay for Trump's tax bill. The cuts, in the form of new work and eligibility requirements, would cause 8.6 million people to lose health insurance, an estimate found. (
Israel-Hamas war:
Hamas agreed to release an American-Israeli hostage. Trump called it a 'good faith' step toward ending the war in Gaza. (
No-fly zone:
President Trump's transportation secretary plans to reduce the number of flights in and out of Newark airport as it struggles with radar outages and delays. (
'Constantly anxious':
Immigration lawyers
Trump vs. Harvard:
From hospitals to startups, the university helps fuel Greater Boston's economy,
Arrested development:
Trump's cuts to federal research grants
Higher ed:
Steel and lumber tariffs
The Nation and the World
Supreme Court:
From medical care for transgender minors to birthright citizenship, here are the major cases
India vs. Pakistan:
Both countries claimed victory after a ceasefire took hold yesterday, bringing the two nuclear-armed nations back from the brink of war. (
Russia-Ukraine war:
Ukraine's president said he'd meet with Russia's leader in Turkey this week to negotiate peace, but called for a ceasefire to begin today. (
BESIDE THE POINT
By Teresa Hanafin
🏨
Understated style:
TripAdvisor readers say
🧠
Minds at ease:
More employees want mental health benefits as part of a company's medical package, with flexible work schedules and financial counseling at the top of the list. (
⭐️
Good food:
The Michelin Guide and its anonymous inspectors are coming to Boston, and restaurant critic Devra First thinks
Advertisement
🥘
Distinctive cuisine:
Speaking of good food, reporter Alexa Gagosz went to New England's largest Taiwanese festival recently.
🐑
Man or beast:
New Zealand is one of a handful of countries in the world that still has more sheep than people. But humans are catching up. (
📚
Meet the writer:
Sara Franklin is at the Boston Athenaeum, Ria Brodell is in Somerville, and
Thanks for reading Starting Point.
This newsletter was edited by
❓ Have a question for the team? Email us at
✍🏼 If someone sent you this newsletter, you can
📬 Delivered Monday through Friday.
Ian Prasad Philbrick can be reached at
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
On This Day, June 21: 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Iran kills nearly 50,000
1 of 4 | A concrete building is damaged in Walls, Iran, after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the region June 21, 1990. File Photo by M. Mehrain, Dames and Moore/NOAA On this date in history: In 1788, the U.S. Constitution became effective when it was ratified by a ninth state, New Hampshire. In 1942, German forces, led by Gen. Erwin Rommel, took control of Tobruk, Libya, in an assault on British forces. The North African city was a key port on the Mediterranean Sea. In 1945, Japanese defenders of Okinawa surrendered to U.S. troops. In 1964, Ku Klux Klan members killed three civil rights activists -- James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner -- and hid their bodies in unmarked graves. An informer led the FBI to the three men's graves 44 days later. In 1982, John Hinckley Jr. was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the March 1981 shootings of U.S. President Ronald Reagan and three other people who were also wounded. Hinckley has been in a hospital in Washington, with permission in recent years to spend time outside the institution with his family. UPI File Photo In 1985, international experts in Sao Paulo, Brazil, conclusively identified the bones of a 1979 drowning victim as the remains of Dr. Josef Mengele, a Nazi war criminal, ending a 40-year search for the "angel of death" of the Auschwitz concentration camp. In 1990, an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale struck northwestern Iran, killing up to 50,000 people. In 1997, Cambodia announced the capture of former Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot. In 2005, a Mississippi jury convicted 80-year-old former Ku Klux Klan leader Edgar Ray Killen of manslaughter in the 1964 killings of three civil rights workers. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison and died in 2018. In 2008, nearly 1,400 people, most of them on a ferry that capsized, were killed in Typhoon Fengshen in the Philippines. In 2011, a RusAir passenger plane flying from Moscow to Petrozavodsk in rain and fog crashed on a highway near an airport and broke apart in flames. Forty-four people died, eight survived. In 2020, the acoustic guitar Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain used during the band's 1993 MTV Unplugged special sold for more than $6 million. It set a new record for highest auction price for a guitar in history. In 2021, Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player in league history to come out as gay. File Photo by Kyle Rivas/UPI In 2021, Laurel Hubbard made history as the first openly transgender athlete to be selected to compete in an Olympic Games, qualifying for a spot on New Zealand's weightlifting team. In 2023, the Food and Drug Administration granted approval for GOOD Meat, the meat division of Eat Just, and UPSIDE Foods, to sell cultivated poultry in the United States. It was the first approval by the regulatory body for companies to produce meat by growing cells extracted from an animal's body.
Boston Globe
7 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Ash from Bunker Hill fireworks damages boats at Charlestown Navy Yard, owners say
Marino said he headed to the docks Wednesday afternoon after Charlestown Marina sent an email to boaters warning that 'ash and fireworks debris' had settled 'on and around the vessels in the marina.' 'We recommend checking your boat and rinsing off any visible debris to prevent staining,' read the message, which went out to customers around 12:15 p.m. Wednesday. Advertisement Marino said some of the ash had 'ground in' and 'burned' the surface of his 41-foot Rampage Express, a vessel he's currently trying to sell. Despite power-washing the boat, he said the damage is permanent and will require professional repairs. In an email to the Globe on Friday, Matt Shea, northeast regional manager of Pyrotecnico, the national fireworks company responsible for Tuesday's display, said the event had the proper permits and was launched from a designated safety zone that 'exceeded the Commonwealth's requirements.' He added that members of the Boston Harbor patrol and fire department were present during the show. 'Unfortunately, the following day, it was discovered there was ash on several boats, possibly due to upper-level winds,' Shea said. 'The debris apparently was not observed by bystanders during the show. Our team is currently working with the affected boat owners to address their damaged vessels.' Advertisement The Boston Fire Department also confirmed to the Globe that they issued a permit for the fireworks display but said they had not received any complaints related to the fallout. Marino, the boat owner, said he had 'never' had problems like this before. 'And there's fireworks going off in Boston Harbor all the time,' he said. Another boater, Sylvain Theroux, said the boats in his section were 'totally covered' in ash, including his 32-foot Galeon 325 GTO, which is less than a month old. 'We just want someone to pay for it,' he said. Rita Chandler can be reached at
American Military News
12 hours ago
- American Military News
Captain Cook's lost ship found off Rhode Island coast
The Australian National Maritime Museum recently announced the discovery of Captain James Cook's iconic shipwreck off the coast of Rhode Island, bringing a conclusion to a 250-year-old mystery. In a report published on June 3, the Australian National Maritime Museum explained that historical and archaeological evidence collected as part of an extensive project that spanned over two decades has led researchers to conclude that the RI 2394 shipwreck site in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island, is Cook's 'HMS Endeavour,' which was later renamed the 'Lord Sandwich' when the ship was used by the British. 'This final report is the culmination of 25 years of detailed and meticulous archaeological study on this important vessel,' Australian National Maritime Museum Director Daryl Karp said. Karp described the report as a 'definitive statement' regarding the search for the HMS Endeavour, which the Australian National Maritime Museum launched in 1999. The museum's director added that the search has 'involved underwater investigation in the US and extensive research in institutions across the globe.' According to The New York Post, the HMS Endeavour became famous for becoming the first European ship to circumnavigate New Zealand and land in the eastern part of Australia as part of an expedition that took place between 1768 and 1771. READ MORE: Pics: Two shipwrecks confirmed as slave ships by archaeologists Fox News reported that the iconic ship was later intentionally sunk off the coast of Newport, Rhode Island, in an effort to prevent attacks by America and France. The outlet noted that while researchers have known that the shipwreck of the HMS Endeavor was located off the coast of Rhode Island, the exact location of the shipwreck remained a mystery for roughly 250 years. According to the report, the shipwreck, which is located between 39 and 43 feet underwater, features a 'linear stone ballast pile, the eastern periphery of which features a line of partially exposed frame ends that are closely spaced and of substantial size.' 'Four iron cannons are also present on the site,' the museum added in the report. 'Two are largely exposed above the seabed and lie immediately adjacent to one another on the western side of the site.' The museum's report explains that by 2019, an investigation of the different shipwrecks located in the region led researchers to believe that RI 2394 was the 'most likely candidate' for the HMS Endeavour shipwreck. According to the report, the shipwreck's location satisfies 10 criteria previously agreed upon by different experts. According to the report, the measurements of the RI 2394 shipwreck also match the measurements recorded in a 1768 survey of the iconic ship.
