What are Patriots’ Day and the Boston Marathon all about?

Rappler.com

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'Marathon Monday' is the world's oldest annual marathon and is New England's most widely viewed sporting event

Boston Marathon in 1995. File Photo/AFP

MANILA, Philippines – The Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon. Started in 1897, it drew inspiration from the 1896 Summer Olympics. It attracts half a million spectators each year, making it New England’s most widely viewed sport event.

In 1996, it recorded over 38,000 marathoners, establishing a record as the world’s largest marathon. In 2011, over 26,000 participated in the popular sporting event.

The Boston Marathon is one of 6 World Marathon Majors. It is run on Patriots’ Day every year so that Bostonians call it “Marathon Monday.”

Patriots’ Day

Patriots’ Day in Massachusetts, Boston meanwhile commemorates the anniversary of the first two battles of the American Revolution – the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

These two battles were fought on April 19, 1775 and marked open armed conflict between Great Britain and its 13 colonies in British North America.

British Army soldiers were ordered to capture and destroy military supplies kept by the Massachusetts militia or citizen soldiers at Concord. American revolutionaries, known as “patriots” heard about the British plan and moved their supplies to other locations.

It was the patriots who rebelled against British control and who later declared the United States an independent nation.

The first shots were fired at Lexington at sunrise. Because the American rebels were outnumbered they moved back and proceeded to Concord, where they looked for supplies.

At the North Bridge in Concord, para-military forces, also known as minutemen (because they were young and mobile and were tapped for early response) fought and defeated 3 companies of British troops. The British were forced to march back towards Boston.

British reinforcements marched back under heavy fire until they reached Charlestown. American militia blocked land accesses to Charlestown and Boston, starting what became known as the Siege of Boston. – Rappler.com

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