[mk_page_section full_width=”true” padding_top=”0″ padding_bottom=”0″ section_id=”hero” el_class=”difd_slider-active” sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column][vc_column_text][vc_vulcanHeroSlider images=”1403″][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/mk_page_section][mk_page_section padding_top=”128″ padding_bottom=”128″ section_id=”welcome” el_class=”difFullHeight difd_add-triangle-top-left-orange” sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/12″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”5/6″][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1516206319975{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Western Mass is famous for lots of things…an extraordinary amount of top colleges and universities, beautiful scenery, artsy towns and more. But there are also many things that were created here as well. Here are a few of them…[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/12″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][mk_padding_divider][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/12″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][mk_circle_image src=”https://difhosting1.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/dog-show.jpg”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”1. First dog show” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left|color:%2300b2ba”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1516206332503{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]The first dog show in the country was held in Springfield in the late 1800’s. Today you can catch several dog shows through the year at the Eastern States Exposition, including the CT River Working Group Association Dog Show in March.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][mk_divider margin_top=”40″ margin_bottom=”40″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/12″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][mk_circle_image src=”https://difhosting1.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/volleyball-hof.jpg”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”2. Basketball and Volleyball” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left|color:%2300b2ba”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1516206471742{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Sports fans surely know that both the games of basketball and volleyball originated here. Basketball was invented in Springfield in 1891, and volleyball made its debut in Holyoke in 1895. Today we have both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Volleyball Hall of Fame to commemorate the games.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][mk_divider margin_top=”40″ margin_bottom=”40″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/12″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][mk_circle_image src=”https://difhosting1.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/geebee-planes-spfld-history-museum.jpg”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”3. Gee Bee monoplane land-plane speed record” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left|color:%2300b2ba”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1516206555070{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]In 1931 the Granville Brothers’ Gee Bee monoplane broke the world’s land-plane speed record in Springfield. Today you can see an authentic Gee Bee plane suspended up in the air at the Wood Museum of History at the Springfield Museums.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][mk_divider margin_top=”40″ margin_bottom=”40″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/12″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][mk_circle_image src=”https://difhosting1.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/smith_wesson_3.jpg”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”4. Smith & Wesson” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left|color:%2300b2ba”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1516206634678{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]The country’s largest gun maker, Smith & Wesson, originally set up shop in the Springfield in the 1850’s.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][mk_divider margin_top=”40″ margin_bottom=”40″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/12″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][mk_circle_image src=”https://difhosting1.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/hasbro-game-rm-at-spfld-museums.jpg”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”5. The first board game” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left|color:%2300b2ba”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1516206669086{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Next time you break out a board game, remember that the first board game was “The Checkered Game of Life,” (now known as “Life”), originally manufactured by Milton Bradley in 1860. Remember THAT next time you play Trivial Pursuit![/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/mk_page_section][mk_page_section bg_image=”https://difhosting1.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/holyoke-overview.jpg” bg_position=”center center” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” bg_stretch=”true” enable_3d=”true” speed_factor=”0.5″ video_color_mask=”#004f6b” video_opacity=”0.8″ js_vertical_centered=”true” padding_top=”96″ padding_bottom=”96″ section_id=”subscribe” el_class=”difFullHeight” sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Best of Western Mass” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center|color:%2300b2ba”][vc_column_text align=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1510243760717{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Exclusive info and promotions sent directly to your inbox monthly.[/vc_column_text]
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