Facts about Maryland

Here are some really interesting facts about Maryland...


William Nuthead started the first printing business in St. Mary’s City in 1685. When he died his wife Diana inherited the business. She was the first female licensed as a printer in the colonies.

The Maryland Gazette founded in 1727 is the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States.

Charles Mason and Jeremiah surveyed the Mason-Dixon Line in 1763 to determine the border between Pennsylvania and Maryland. In 1767 the Mason-Dixon Line was established as Maryland’s northern border.

William Goddard inaugurated the first Post Office system in the United States in Baltimore in 1774.

In 1784 the first balloon ascension in the United States took place in Baltimore. The balloon was designed by Peter Carnes, but the ascent was made by thirteen year old Edward Warren.

Georgetown Prep in Bethesda, founded in 1789 by the society of Jesuits, is the oldest Catholic secondary school in the United States.

The Baltimore Water Company, the first water company in the United States, was chartered in 1792.

Mary Pickersgill designed the flag that flew over Ft. McHenry during the War of 1812.

Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner” after seeing the flag still waving during a battle in 1814.

In 1828 St. Francis Academy was the first dental school in the world. This became the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery in 1839.

In 1844 the first telegraph line in the world was established between Washington and Baltimore.

In 1856 Charles Benedict Calvert created the first agricultural research college in the United States. The Maryland Agricultural College became the University of Maryland at College Park.

The USS Constellation docked in Baltimore is the last ship to survive from the Civil War.

The B&O Railroad was incorporated in 1827 by Charles Carroll. Today the railroad is part of CSX.

The Carrollton Viaduct in Baltimore was named in honor of Charles Carroll of Carrollton and is the oldest railroad bridge still in use.

The Thomas Viaduct in Relay was the longest bridge in the United States on completion in 1835 and is still in use.

Dr. Florence Rina Sabin of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore became the first female professor of medicine in 1901.


Source: mdkidspage.org , Interesting Facts