1. In 1785, the first balloon crossing of the English Channel was attempted by Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries. Jeffries was a native of Massachusetts and a physician who graduated from Harvard College in 1763.
2. On January 7, 1839, Massachusetts Governor Edward Everett gave a speech in Boston in support of the abolitionist cause, calling for an end to slavery in the United States.
3. The Boston Red Sox signed their future Hall of Fame player, Ted Williams, on January 7, 1937. Williams would go on to become one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, spending his entire career with the Red Sox.
4. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick was inaugurated for his second term on January 7, 2011, having been re-elected in November of the previous year. Patrick was Massachusetts' first African American governor.
5. On January 7, 2014, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to raise the minimum wage to $10 per hour. The state has continued to increase its minimum wage since then, with the current rate set at $13.50 per hour as of 2021.