It Took 200 Years For Boston To Elect A Woman Mayor. How Long Is That In Boston Time?

After nearly 200 years of white men holding the city's top job, Michelle Wu made history last night as the first woman and person of color to be elected as mayor of Boston.

Here's a look at how long two hundred years really is — by Boston measurements — to put this historic election into perspective:

• In 200 years' time, the Red Sox were cursed by the Bambino in 1918, and managed to reverse the curse 96 years later by defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series.
• The city went from having no cars; to creating the Tremont Street subway, North America's first subway tunnel; to starting and finishing the Big Dig; to having some of the worst traffic in the United States.
• Remember when the North End was flooded with molasses in 1919? That was also more than 200 years ago.

All that is to say, a lot has happened in 200 years. While Boston's storied history may be eclectic, each of these moments occurred under the leadership of a white man...until now.

This video contains an incorrect date. The Tremont Street subway is more than 200 years old, but it opened in 1897, not 1887.