1. In 1861, Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner delivered a famous speech condemning slavery and its supporters in the United States Senate, igniting a long-standing feud with South Carolina Representative Preston Brooks. Brooks would later physically assault Sumner on the Senate floor, sparking further outrage and division between North and South.

2. On January 11, 1922, famed poet and Cambridge native, Edwin Arlington Robinson, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his collection, "Collected Poems."

3. The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 occurred on January 11th. A large tank containing over 2 million gallons of molasses burst in Boston's North End, causing a wave of molasses to flood the streets and buildings, killing 21 people and injuring dozens more.

4. In 1693, the Massachusetts Bay Colony established the Insurance Company of North America, the first successful fire insurance company in the country.

5. On January 11, 1990, singer-songwriter James Taylor received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Despite being born in Boston, Taylor spent a significant portion of his career in California, where he recorded many of his iconic hits.