Maryland Trivia & Tidbits - Page 6

Looking for Maryland trivia? Try our list Maryland little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

The Peabody Institute, founded in Baltimore in 1857, was the first endowed school of music in the nation. It grew from a local academy to an internationally recognized cultural center by the 20th century.

first appeared: 9/25/2005

In 1931, Ed and Phil Lotz of Ellicott City (pop. 56,397) anchored the defense for the lacrosse team at Annapolis’ St. John’s College, which outscored opponents 150-6. At the time, the brothers were considered the greatest lacrosse defensemen of all time.

first appeared: 9/18/2005

In October 1996, Baltimore became the first city in the nation to adopt the 311 non-emergency telephone number. Freeing up the 911 emergency line, 311 calls often relate to complaints about noise, illegal burning and debris in roadways.

first appeared: 9/11/2005

Directly across the Potomac River from George Washington’s Mount Vernon in Virginia, a hillside once cleared and used for farming has been replanted with plant species that were documented by the first European settlers of the Chesapeake Bay area. Known as the Accokeek Foundation Native Tree Arboretum, the site, near Accokeek (pop. 7,349), includes 108 trees and shrubs representing 85 different species. Among them are American chestnuts, which have been bred to resist the blight that killed most chestnut trees beginning in the early 20th century.

first appeared: 9/11/2005

Built by Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, the Patrick Henry was launched in Baltimore in September 1941. The ship was the first of America’s cargo-carrying Liberty ships. By 1945, the American war effort had produced more than 2,700 of this class of vessels.

first appeared: 8/28/2005

First-baseman Jimmie "The Beast" Foxx, born in Sudlersville (pop. 391), was the American League’s most valuable player in 1932, 1933 and 1938. He played for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1925 to 1935, the Boston Red Sox from 1936 to 1942, and other teams.

first appeared: 8/14/2005

Washington College in Chestertown (pop. 4,746) is the state’s oldest and the nation’s 10th oldest college. Founded in 1782, the college is named for President George Washington, who served on its Board of Visitors and Governors.

first appeared: 7/31/2005

Coach Morgan Wootten compiled a 1,274-192 record in basketball at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville (pop. 14,733), ending his 46-year career in 2002 with a winning percentage of 87 percent, the highest in the nation.

first appeared: 7/17/2005

Lem and Steve Ward, barbers in Crisfield (pop. 2,723), began carving waterfowl decoys in the 1920s. After winning "Best in Show" at the 1948 New York Decoy Show, the brothers’ reputation as first-class carvers was secured. Examples of their work are preserved at the Tawes Museum in Crisfield and the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art in Salisbury (pop. 23,743).

first appeared: 6/19/2005

In 1683, Francis Makemie of County Donegal, Ireland, immigrated to Snow Hill (pop. 2,409) and established the first American Presbyterian community. Today, the Makemie Memorial Presbyterian Church stands on the site of the original church.

first appeared: 6/5/2005

Born in Baltimore in 1874, the African-American pugilist Joe Gans is considered to be one of the best lightweight boxers of all time. He ended his career with 120 wins, 8 losses and 9 draws and held the championship title from 1902 to 1904 and 1906 to 1908.

first appeared: 5/22/2005

A native of Baltimore, Thurgood Marshall (1908-1991) represented plaintiffs in the famous 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. the Board of Education, which ended the "separate but equal" doctrine in public education. In 1967, Marshall became the first African-American Supreme Court justice.

first appeared: 5/8/2005

Gaithersburg (pop. 52,613) businessman Gus McLeod made history on April 17, 2000, as the first pilot to fly over the North Pole in an open-cockpit plane. He wrote Solo to the Top of the World, based on the adventure.

first appeared: 4/24/2005

Retired Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North defeated former Navy Secretary James Webb during the 1967 Brigade Boxing Championship. Both were members of the Class of 1968 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis (pop. 35,838).

first appeared: 4/10/2005

Founded in 1887 as the Laboratory of Hygiene in Stapleton, N.Y., the National Institutes of Health (NIH) today is composed of 27 institutes and medical research centers. With its main campus in Bethesda, the NIH studies diseases, treatments and cures.

first appeared: 3/27/2005

Through the "Mids for Kids" program, midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis (pop. 35,838) volunteer as tutors for school children.

first appeared: 3/13/2005

A daisy known as the black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) has been Maryland’s state flower since 1918 when the General Assembly declared it the "floral emblem." Between May and August, these 18- to 30-inch tall, sun-loving, long-blooming wildflowers blanket fields and roadsides around the state. The Perennial Plant Association named a popular variety of Rudbeckia, the sullivantii "goldsturm," the 1999 Perennial Plant of the Year.

first appeared: 2/13/2005

When Chesapeake Bay waters become depleted of oxygen, a phenomenon known as a crab jubilee occurs. To survive, crabs scramble onto beaches and jetties to gulp air. Heavy rains during the spring of 2003 caused soil nutrients to run into the bay, creating algae blooms, fish kills and crab jubilees during the summer.

first appeared: 1/30/2005

From automated teller machines to mammograms, countless products and services rely on standards provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, headquartered in Gaithersburg. Established by Congress in 1824 as the Office of Standard Weights and Measures, the NIST today employs 3,000 scientists, engineers and support personnel.

first appeared: 1/16/2005

Pam Shriver of Baltimore was 16 when she competed as a singles finalist at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in 1978. She won 21 World Tennis Association (WTA) Tour singles titles and 106 WTA Tour doubles titles before retiring from the circuit in 1997.

first appeared: 1/2/2005

jump to page: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17

newspaper partner login create account

Recent

Popular

Recipes

Below are the most recent American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile recipes:

Relish

Spry

Below are the most recent articles from our Relish sister site. Click on the "Spry" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.

Below are the most recent articles from our Spry sister site. Click on the "Relish" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.