1. On February 28, 1815, Massachusetts ratified the Treaty of Ghent, officially ending the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain.

2. In 1917, on February 28, the Massachusetts Legislature passed the Smith-Hughes Act, which provided federal funds for vocational education in agriculture, home economics, and trades.

3. February 28, 1943 saw the historic opening of the Hingham Shipyard, which generated employment for thousands of Massachusetts residents during World War II.

4. On February 28, 1972, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the state's Blue Laws, which enforced mandatory Sunday closures for businesses, were unconstitutional.

5. In 2014, February 28 marked the swearing-in ceremony of Edward J. Markey as the junior senator from Massachusetts, following his victory in a special election to fill the vacancy left by John Kerry when he became Secretary of State.