Brattle Bookshop opens.

Originally the Burnham Bookstore and operated by Thomas Burnham, it is located initially in the basement of Old South Meeting House. The oldest antiquarian bookstore in continued operation in the U.S., it is purchased by George Gloss in 1949. The shop subsequently moves to Cornhill Street, then several more times due to rising rents and urban renewal (with each move precipitating giant book giveaways) before reaching its current location at 9 – 11 West Street in 1969. Taken over by his son Ken (whose first word was reportedly “book”) in 1973, it is nearly destroyed by a serious fire in 1980, but rebuilt, reopened, and continues in operation today.