Concord, Lexington Celebrate 250th Anniversary of American Revolution’s ‘Shot Heard Round the World’

The neighboring towns are etched in history as sites of the first battles of the American Revolution, but debate remains over where the first shot was fired.

Reenactors depicting British Redcoats fire their weapons during the 250th reenactment of the Battle of Lexington and Concord in Lexington, Mass., on April 19, 2025. Sophie Park/Getty Images

CONCORD, Mass.—Daylight had yet to appear at about 5 a.m. on April 19 when bells rang out over Lexington Common. Hundreds of spectators were gathered to watch a reenactment of the skirmish that forever changed U.S. history 250 years ago.

The neighboring towns of Lexington and Concord are where the first battles occurred between British regulars and colonial militias. The colonists were known as minutemen—those who had pledged to take up arms at a minute’s notice.