General George Washington resigns his Continental Army Commission to the U.S. Congress in the Annapolis Statehouse. He refuses to become an authoritarian military leader and sets the new country toward civilian control of the military, an unprecedented first. This totally new concept of government has been a guiding principle throughout our history.
Finished in the 1780s, the Maryland Statehouse is the oldest capital in continuous use in the U.S.
The Battle of Bladensburg in August 1814 is the most momentous defeat of an American army on US soil. After a strong British force of 4000 defeats 6500 poorly-trained militia, the British proceed to burn public buildings in Washington DC.
Billie Holliday (born Eleanora Fagan and raised in Baltimore) revolutionizes the style and approach to jazz singing. She releases her first hit at 17, “Riffin’ the Scotch”, recorded with Benny Goodman in 1933.
Maryland builds the beginning of an interstate road, a toll road from Baltimore to Cumberland. In a first federal project the government funds next road segment west to Ohio in 1811.
We acknowledge the enduring presence of many American Indian tribes who once lived in Maryland and who now, having lost their lands, live in a diaspora. Read more.
© 2023 MARYLAND 400
