Maryland Events

1788 Apr 28 Maryland Ratifies the US Constitution and is the 7th State Admitted to the Union
In Convention of the Delegates of the People of the State of Maryland 28 April 1788. We the Delegates of the people of the State of Maryland having fully considered the Constitution of...
1818 Feb Frederick Douglass is Born
The son of a slave woman and an unknown white man, "Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey" was born in February of 1818 on Maryland's eastern shore. He spent his early years with his grand...
1826 Douglass is Sent to Baltimore to Live with Hugh Auld
Because Frederick had a natural charm that many people found engaging, he was chosen to be the companion of Daniel Lloyd, the youngest son of the plantation's owner. Frederick's chief fri...
1829 Douglass Begins Work in Shipyard as General Assistant
Very soon after I went to Baltimore to live, Master Hugh [Auld] succeeded in getting me hired to Mr. William Gardiner, an extensive ship builder on Fell’s Point. I was placed here to lear...
1833 Frederick Douglass Works for Thomas Auld in St. Michaels, Maryland
Follow in the footsteps of Frederick Douglass during his teenage years in St. Michaels. Arriving as Frederick Bailey, a rebellious 15 year old, in 1833 and leaving in 1836 determined to a...
1848 Lee Departs for Fort Carroll
". . . . My days are spent pretty much at Fort Carroll (Sollers Point); My thoughts are engrossed with driving piles & laying stone. . . . Poor subjects for a corres-pondence with young la..." —Robert E. Lee, Fort Carroll, to his cousin Markie Williams, 10 May 1851
1861 Feb 22
to 1861 Feb 23
 The Baltimore Plot to Assassinate Abraham Lincoln
The Baltimore Plot was an alleged conspiracy in late February 1861 to assassinate President-elect Abraham Lincoln en route to his inauguration. Allan Pinkerton, eponymous founder of the P...
1861 Apr 19 The Baltimore Riot of 1861
The Baltimore riot of 1861 (also called the Pratt Street Riot and the Pratt Street Massacre) was an incident that took place on April 19, 1861, in Baltimore, Maryland between Confederate ...
1861 May 25 Ex Parte Merryman
On May 25, 1861, a secessionist named John Merryman was imprisoned by military order at Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Md., for his alleged pro-Confederate activities. Supreme Court Chief Justi...
1862 Jan 5
to 1862 Jan 6
 Battle of Hancock
The Battle of Hancock, a battle fought during the Romney Expedition, occurred January 5–6, 1862, in Washington County, Maryland, and Morgan County, West Virginia, as part of Maj. Gen. Tho...
1862 Sep 12
to 1862 Sep 15
 Battle of Harper's Ferry - Stonewall Jackson Captures Union Garrison
The Battle of Harpers Ferry was fought September 12–15, 1862, as part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War. As Gen. Robert E. Lee's Confederate army invaded Maryland, a port...
1862 Sep 14 Battle of South Mountain - McClellan Defeats Lee
Description: After invading Maryland in September 1862, Gen. Robert E. Lee divided his army to march on and invest Harpers Ferry. The Army of the Potomac under Maj. Gen. George B. McClell...
1862 Sep 17 Battle of Antietam
"Of all the days on all the fields where American soldiers have fought, the most terrible by almost any measure was September 17, 1862. The battle waged on that date, close by Antietam Cre..." —Stephen W. Sears
1863 Jul 6
to 1863 Jul 16
 Battle of Williamsport - Lee's Army Constructs Bridge
The Battle of Williamsport, also known as the Battle of Hagerstown or Falling Waters, took place from July 6 to July 16, 1863, in Washington County, Maryland, as part of the Gettysburg Ca...
1863 Jul 8 Battle of Boonsboro
Description: On July 8, the Confederate cavalry, holding the South Mountain passes, fought a rearguard action against elements of the Union 1st and 3rd Cavalry Divisions and infantry. Thi...
1863 Jul 10 Battle of Funkstown
The Second Battle of Funkstown (more commonly simply referred to as the Battle of Funkstown) took place near Funkstown, Maryland, on July 10, 1863, during the Gettysburg Campaign of the A...
1864 Jul 9 Battle of Monocacy - "The Battle that Saved Washington"
Description: After marching north through the Shenandoah Valley from Lynchburg, the Confederate army of Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early side-stepped the Federal garrison at Harpers Ferry and cros...
1864 Aug 1 Battle of Folck's Mill - Confederates Attempt to Disrupt B&O Railroad
Description: After burning Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, on July 30, Johnson’s and McCausland’s cavalry brigades rode towards Cumberland, Maryland, to disrupt the B&O Railroad. Brig. Gen. B...
1954 Oct 5
to 1954 Oct 18
 Hurricane Hazel
Leaving a death toll in Hati of more than 200 and an injured list of at least 500, according to unofficial reports reaching here, Hurricane Hazel moved toward the island of Mayaguana in t...
1959 May 12 Capital Airlines Flight 75 Crashes
Just three minutes later the aircraft lost control in an area of severe turbulence and entered a steep descent. The aircraft probably reached an airspeed of 335 knots, which is 15 percent...
1963 Dec 8 Pan Am's Clipper Tradewind Crashes
Flight 214 was in a holding pattern awaiting an insturment approach to the Philadelphia International Airport when it was struck by lightning. Immediately thereafter, the aircraft was obs...
2010 Sep 1 Discovery Communications Headquarters Hostage Crisis
From the early stages of Wednesday's hostage standoff in Silver Spring, tactical officers had positioned themselves to shoot James J. Lee. The big fear: Doing so would set off explosives ...