Maryland Facts and information
Maryland (MD) was admitted to the Union on April 28, 1788State Capital: Annapolis
Maryland is situated in the Northeastern region
States sharing a border with Maryland:
Pennsylvania West Virginia Delaware
West Virginia , Pennsylvania , Delaware
Size in square miles:
12,407
Major Lakes & Rivers in / through or touching Maryland:
Atlantic Ocean
Potomac River
Chesapeake Bay
Major sports teams/venues/accomplishments:
Major League Baseball – Baltimore Orioles play games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Championships:
World Series Champions 1966, 1970, 1983
American League Champions 1944, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979, 1983
National Football League – Baltimore Ravens play games at M&T Bank Stadium
Championships:
Super Bowl Champions 2000
Main industry/ jobs:
Transportation
Ports
Government facilities
Aerospace
Bio-research
Medical research
Educational
Military
Blue Crab
Oysters
Agriculture
Horticulture crops
Tobacco
Chicken farming
Food processing
Coal Mining
Healthcare:
Maryland for Health Care
Manufacturing/Government Business Facilities:
United States Census Bureau
Environmental Protection Agency
Food and Drug Administration
National Archives and Records Administration
National Institutes of Health
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Internal Revenue Service
National Security Agency
Social Security Administration
Major Natural Disasters:
There have been no major devastating natural disasters recorded in the state of Maryland.
Maryland Area codes:
227 240 301 410 443 667
Famous People Born in Maryland:
Spiro T. Agnew, MD governor and United States VP
Samuel Chase, United States Supreme Court Justice
Frederick Douglass, abolitionist
John Wilkes Booth, actor
Philip Glass, composer
Billie Holiday, singer
Francis Scott Key, lawyer and author of “The Star-Spangled Banner”
Babe Ruth, baseball player
Upton Sinclair, author
Harriet Tubman, abolitionist
Frank Zappa, singer
Nora Roberts, writer
Tori Amos, singer/songwriter
Population
1960 – 3,100,689
1970 – 3,922,399
1980 – 4,216,975
1990 – 4,781,468
2000 – 5,296,486
2005 – 5,615,727
Major cities & populations 2005:
1. Baltimore – 635,815
2. Frederick – 57,907
3. Gaithersburg – 57,698
4. Rockville – 57,402
5. Bowie – 53,878
6. Hagerstown – 38,326
7. Annapolis – 36,300
8. Salisbury – 26,295
9. College Park – 25,171
10. Greenbelt – 22,242
Politics
Congress / House of Representatives:
Congressman Wayne T. Gilchrest (Republican)
Congressman C.A. Ruppersberger (Democrat)
Congressman John Sarbanes (Democrat)
Congressman Albert R. Wynn (Democrat)
Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (Democrat)
Congressman Roscoe G. Bartlett (Republican)
Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (Democrat)
Congressman Chris Van Hollen (Democrat)
Governor:
Martin O’Malley (Democrat)
Senators:
Barbara Mikulski (Democrat)
Ben Cardin (Democrat)
House Prices, Wages, Taxes
State Sales Tax:
5%
Income Tax:
2%-4.75% depending on income
Median Home Values:
1940: $31,500
1950: $48,700
1960: $58,600
1970: $71,800
1980: $115,400
1990: $148,800
2000: $146,000
Examples of homes in local papers:
5 room Bungalow 2 bedrooms living room dining room modern kitchen full basement with hot air heating $7,000 Salisbury Maryland 1959
3 bedroom , large modern kitchen , living room , carport , utility room, large 100ft X 150 ft Plot $14,500 Salisbury Maryland 1962
3 bedroom Ranch Style Home $47,900 Annapolis Maryland 1982
Examples of foods and good in local papers:
Ladies Sandals 98 cents Maryland 1939
Bran Flakes 10 cents Maryland 1939
RCA 24 inch Black and White TV $289.00 Maryland 1960
Bananas 19 cents for 2 pound Maryland 1960
Brass Finish Cieling Fan $199 Maryland 1982
Number of People employed in the state:
2,892,620
Mean annual yearly income:
2005: $42,975
2000: $39,386
1990: $33,984
1980: $29,322
1970: $25,218
Maryland Tourism
Camp David
United States Naval Academy
Goddard Space Flight Center
Potomac River
Chesapeake Bay
Ocean City
Assateague State Park
Big Run State Park
Calvert Cliffs State Park
Casselman River Bridge State Park
Chapel Point State Park
Cunningham Falls State Park
Dans Mountain State Park
Deep Creek Lake State Park
Elk Neck State Park
Fort Frederick State Park
Fort Tonoloway State Park
Gambrill State Park
Gathland State Park
Greenbrier State Park
Greenwell State Park
Gunpowder Falls State Park
Hart-Miller Island State Park
Herrington Manor State Park
Janes Island State Park
Jonas Green State Park
Martinak State Park
Matapeake State Park
New Germany State Park
North Point State Park
Palmer State Park
Patapsco Valley State Park
Patuxent River State Park
Pocomoke River State Park
Point Lookout State Park
Purse State Park
Rocks State Park
Rocky Gap State Park
Rosaryville State Park
Sandy Point State Park
Seneca Creek State Park
Smallwood State Park
South Mountain State Park
St. Clement's Island State Park
St. Mary's River State Park
Susquehanna State Park
Swallow Falls State Park
Tuckahoe State Park
Washington Monument State Park
Wills Mountain State Park
Wye Oak State Park
Old News Stories Involving Maryland
As we build our This Day in History Section we will include stories we find that are interesting and involve Maryland , we will include in this section.January 30, 1781 – Maryland is the 13th state to adopt and ratify the Articles of Confederation. It is also the last state in the Union to adopt the Articles almost three years after Congress’s deadline for ratification.
May 19, 1795 – Johns Hopkins was born in Maryland. After his family freed their slaves, he was forced to work on the family’s farm. He eventually pursued his own business interests and became the most prominent single stockholder in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. He also began the Johns Hopkins University and Hospital in Baltimore in 1867.
April 17, 1788
This is the date that Maryland becomes a state of the Union. It is one of the first states to be admitted, besides six others.
1906-Child Factory Labor Law Passed
After this date in the state of Maryland children under the age of 12 were no longer allowed to work in factories. In later years, this date was changed to age 14.
February 7, 1904
At about twelve minutes before eleven in the morning the Great Fire of Baltimore started on this date. It lasted until about five in the evening the next day, and spread to a distance of over 70 blocks.
1920
As of this date, Democrat Albert C. Ritchie began service as governor of Maryland and then was re-elected four times after that. He also ran for president in 1924 and 1932 but did not win.
February 24, 1920
The 19th Amendment, which was submitted by Congress to each state of the Union in June of 1919 was rejected by Maryland. However, this six months later this amendment became law when another state (Tennessee) became the 36th state to approve this amendment.
It was not until the year 1941 that Maine had approved this amendment, which allowed women to vote. However, one source indicates that this decision during this time was merely a formality.
March 3, 1931
The Star Spangled Banner officially is established as the United State’s National Anthem. The Star-Spangled Banner started out a poem that was written by Francis Scott Key who peered out at a large flag that was still standing after the destruction of Fort Mc Henry in Baltimore, Maryland.
1935-Annapolis, Maryland
This was the original founding date of the Hall of Records. The State Archives moved to this building as of 1986, along with records that were stored here since it was first established.
November 25, 1944
This is the day that a child suffering a congenital heart malfunction that prevents oxygen from entering into the blood becomes the first to receive a life-saving operation. After a few more attempts, this child was recovered, and numerous other children have been helped since.
As of the year 1995, this operation had been performed for 50 years. This was considered one of the most advanced medical procedures of its time when it was first used.
July 30, 1952
This bridge (the Chesapeake Bay Toll Bridge) which opened on this date was renamed the William Preston Lane, Jr. Memorial Bridge in 1967. This original bridge crossed over the Chesapeake Bay between Sandy Point and the Eastern Shore near Stevensville.
In the year 1968 another bridge was built parallel to the original Bay Bridge. This new addition is referred to in the present day as the westbound span and the original bridge is thought of as the eastbound span.
1976
The Washington metro opened during this year. It began providing transportation to and from places such as Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.
1978-Baltimore,
This theatre reopened in 1978 and operated under a new name-The State Theatre of Maryland. This is a resident professional theatre house, which is a center that provides housing for professional customer designers as well as performers to stay during the time that they are scheduled to perform or work.
May 18, 1992 Baltimore,
A new light rail line has begun operation as of this date. The route of this line is quite a stretch through Baltimore.
September 10th, 1993-Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay Partnership Agreement was signed as of this date. The reason this agreement was signed was to reduce pollution in the Bay area by the year 2000. This agreement was signed by all the counties of Maryland, Baltimore City, as well as the governor of this state.
October 23, 1998-Washington, D.C./Queen Ann’s County,
Washington D.C. is an area that is separate from Maryland or any other state. However, activities such as the Wye River Memorandum are often though of as important pieces of Maryland history. This is where peace agreements were made between Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
These peace talks happened after a summit that took place on the dates of October 15 through 19th-just before peace terms were signed. The Middle East Peace Talks that lead to a peace treaty were held at Aspen Institute Wye River Conference Centers in Queen Ann’s County.
April 2000-Patuxent River Oil Spill
Unfortunately the Patuxent River Oil Spill-the worst spill by a power company in this area in over a century-had put a damper on the attempts to clean up Chesapeake Bay by the year 2000. (This river runs into the Bay.) However, further promises were made to clean up this area by the year 2003.
October 4, 2006-Greenbelt,
On this date, a report was made regarding a certain school not letting a student read a Bible. A lawsuit was filed against this particular school. Quite a bit of evidence leans towards the allowance of Bible reading during the school day during non-class times, which helped this case quite a bit.
For instance, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2003 makes a provision which allows children to read their Bibles in school. (The source of this article from CNS News dated October 4, 2006 does not specifically specify the verdict, but it is implied that the case could be very easily won by the student’s family.)
