If you think you know all about Maryland history, test yourself. Did you know: 

  • Maryland my Maryland, the Maryland state song was repealed in 2021 after 82 years. The song, based on an 1861 poem written by a southern sympathizer from Baltimore urged Maryland to join the confederacy and called Lincoln a tyrant. 
  • Maryland has a community called Boring. The town has 40 houses, a post office, a fire company, and not much else. 
  • The colony of Maryland was founded by Sir George Calvert, also known as Lord Baltimore, in 1632. Maryland was the seventh state to ratify the United States Constitution. It played a pivotal role in founding Washington, DC, established on land donated by the state. 
  • Lord Baltimore’s family crest was taken as the state seal of Maryland. As such, it includes his weird family motto: Fatti Maschii, Parole Femine. Translated, this means “Manly deeds, womanly words”. Historians have condemned the motto as “sexist in any language”. 
  • Maryland was part of the Union during the Civil War. Most citizens supported the Union, although a good number went to fight for the Confederacy. The Mason-Dixon line cuts right between Maryland and Pennsylvania. As a border state, Maryland’s loyalties were divided. 
  • The first Ouija board was invented in Baltimore. Creator Elijah Bond and medium Helen Peters asked the “talking board” what it wanted to be called. “O-U-I-J-A,” the board allegedly replied. It’s engraved on the back of his tombstone. 
  • Poet Edgar Allen Poe was buried in Baltimore twice. 
  • F Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda were both buried twice in Rockville…once in 1940 in the Rockville Cemetery, and finally in 1975 in the Fitzgerald family plot in St. Mary’s Catholic Church cemetery. Their daughter, Scottie, was buried with them in 1986. 
  • Baltimore served as the temporary capital of the United States between 1783 and 1784. 
  • As it is in most states, the capital of Maryland is not the most populace city. In 2020, Annapolis, the capital, was the seventh most populace city with less than 40,000 people.  Baltimore population was 585,708. 
  • Maryland’s most famous island may be Assateague, where herds of feral ponies live, eating dune grass and drinking pond water. Everyone can agree that the animals are great, whether they’re true ponies or weird little horses. 
  • The current Governor of Maryland is Wes Moore. He is affiliated with the Democratic Party. He is the first Black governor of the state, the third Black person elected as governor of any U.S. state, and as of 2023, the only currently serving black governor of any U.S. state. 
  • Maryland’s government has three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. 
  • Maryland is represented in the U.S. Congress and is part of the federal court system and other federal offices. In the U.S. Senate, Maryland is represented by two senators. 
  • Maryland has had four constitutions. 
  • The Constitution of Maryland requires that the State government’s budget be balanced: total estimated revenues must equal or exceed total appropriations. The budget also must reflect any estimated revenue surplus or deficit at the end of the preceding year. 
  • Smith Island Cake is the Official State Dessert of Maryland. This decadent cake has been a staple of The Eastern Shore since the 1800s. 
  • Since 1962, Jousting has been the Official State Sport. In 2004, Lacrosse became the Official State Team Sport, and in 2006 Basketball became the Official Sport of the Commonwealth.