Your Maryland

On June 6th, 1944, soldiers from Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, members of the 29th Division, were among the first soldiers to land at Omaha Beach on the coast of Normandy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the summer of 1863, Colonel William Birney began recruiting black men to fight in a newly formed regiment, the 4th United States Colored Infantry. Many men, both free and slave, were keen to sign up and fight for the Union. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The publication of Rachel Carson's book, "Silent Spring," in 1962 changes the way the public thinks about the health of the environment and the ways in which the use of chemicals effect all living things. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Making his way home to Maryland after the surrender at Appomattox, Confederate officer Henry Kyd Douglas was arrested in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and briefly detained in Washington during the trial of the Lincoln Conspirators.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 10, 1912, a group of prominent Baltimoreans boarded RMS Titanic of the White Star Line in Southampton, bound for New York on her maiden voyage. The journey did not go as expected. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In September 1814, after raiding and burning Washington, British troops turned their sites on Baltimore. They were met with great resistance from the Americans, and the planned invasion of Baltimore never took place.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baltimore's Joe Gans was rated the greatest lightweight boxer of all-time by boxing historian and Ring Magazine founder, Nat Fleischer. In a rematch on May 12, 1902, he defeated Frank Erne and became Lightweight Champion of the World. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the spring of 1862, aspiring journalist G A Townsend traveled south by train and steamboat  to cover the Civil War. On his travels he met civilians and soldiers alike and came face to face with the realities of life during wartime.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On January 30, 1956, a devastating fire broke out at Arundel Park during a church fundraiser and oyster roast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baltimore socialite Wallis Simpson's life took a number of interesting turns over the course of the first half of the 20th century. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After working together for 22 years, Matthew Henson and Robert E. Peary located the North Pole in April, 1909. History, however,  would record only Peary's name as having made the discovery. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A colorful "history" of the bathtub, as told by H. L. Mencken.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1893, Mary Garrett,  daughter of B&O Railroad magnate  John Work Garrett,  uses her fortune to fund the nation's first co-educational medical school at Johns Hopkins. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald's collective creativity burned brightly until the end. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1851, Maryland farmer Edward Gorsuch formed a posse and tried to retrieve some runaway slaves that had fled over the Pennsylvania border. It did not end well.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joshua Barney and his Chesapeake fleet battle British forces during the War of 1812.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Between 1851 and 1860, Harriet Tubman freed a reported thousand slaves from the Eastern Shore of Maryland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The strike comes to a head in Baltimore, with railroad workers and other citizens rioting and fighting with National Guard troops.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In July, 1877, the overworked and underpaid railroad men of the B&O went on strike. The strike began in Western Maryland, and rolled east, picking up steam as it headed toward Baltimore.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before he became a major league phenom, "Little George" Ruth learned about baseball, and life, with the help of Brother Mathias at St. Mary's Industrial School, a Catholic institution for "incorrigible" boys in Baltimore.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newspaperman Alexander Contee Hanson, editor of the Federal Republican and a federalist to the core, opposed Jefferson and his successor Madison and wrote scathingly about the nation's involvement in the War of 1812.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 17th century St. Mary's City, a young man with a taste for violence avoids consequences due to his skills as a gunsmith for the colony. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In May, 1891, Tchaikovsky visited Baltimore to present a concert at the Lyceum on Charles Street. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 13, 1940, Monty R, a "family pet" born and raised in Maryland horse country, defeated the favored thoroughbred Blockade at My Lady's Manor in a shocking upset. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In August 1934, two young boys found a treasure trove of gold coins buried in the basement of a home located at 132 South Eden Street in East Baltimore. Their lives were never the same. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1818, Jacob Gruber, a minister from Pennsylvania, was charged with inciting a slave revolt in Maryland when he preached about abolition in Hagerstown.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whilst imprisoned at Point Lookout during the Civil War, Sidney Lanier played his flute and provided a bit of comfort amidst the harsh conditions of the camp.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1975,  the Morgan State  Lacrosse team pulled off an incredible upset win against Washington & Lee, stunning fans and the opposing team alike.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Between 1851 and 1860, Harriet Tubman freed a reported thousand slaves from the Eastern Shore of Maryland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The story of one of the lesser known heroes of the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On a visit to England in 1816, Marianne (Caton) Patterson, the daughter of a prominent Baltimore merchant and granddaughter of Charles Carroll, captured the heart of The Duke of Wellington, a hero of the Battle of Waterloo and one of England's most dashing and respected men.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On January 30, 1956, a devastating fire broke out at Arundel Park during a church fundraiser and oyster roast.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Born on Maryland's Eastern Shore in 1894, Dashiell Hammett worked for the Pinkerton Detective Agency before turning to writing. He created memorable characters including Sam Spade and The Thin Man. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In December, 1944, a lone squad of the 29th Division spent a quiet Christmas in a well-stocked German farmhouse, enjoying a brief respite from the bitter cold and constant fighting of the Battle of the Bulge. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the Revolutionary War, Charles Wilson Peale served with, and painted portraits of, many great leaders fighting for independence from England, including George Washington and Alexander Hamilton. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before he made a name for himself in the vaudeville scene in New York, Eubie “Mouse” Blake got his start playing honkytonk music in the pool halls, saloons, and brothels of East Baltimore. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The story of Gus Rice, a notorious pirate during the oyster boom of the late 19th century in and around the Chesapeake Bay and her tributaries. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On November 19th, 1863, at the dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, one of America's greatest orators of the time, Edward Everett, gave a grand speech. But it was Abraham Lincoln's brief address, consisting of only 272 words, which will be remembered forever.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On election day in 1856, rival political gangs solidified Baltimore's reputation as “Mobtown.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the lead-up to election day in 1856, rival political gangs solidified Baltimore's reputation as “Mobtown.”    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Legend and lore about the ghosts and ghouls said to haunt the rolling hills and lonely valleys of Western Maryland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Abolitionist "Captain" John Brown made quite an impression on Frederick Douglass when they met. While bound by the same passion, the two men went on to fight to end slavery by very different means. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The story behind the hit song popularized by Elvis Presley and its link to Baltimore.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1851, Maryland farmer Edward Gorsuch formed a posse and tried to retrieve some runaway slaves that had fled over the Pennsylvania border. It did not end well. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After defeating the Americans at Bladensburg and burning much of official Washington, British General Robert Ross died in an American ambush on his way to Baltimore.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the Civil War, Barbara Frietchie defiantly waved a Union flag from her window as Confederate Troops passed by her home in Frederick, Maryland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A team of upstart American Navy rowers stun the world famous Leander Boat Club from England at the 1920 Olympics in Belgium. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The story of Sir Peter Parker, "the handsomest man in the Royal Navy,"  and his actions around the Chesapeake Bay and the eastern shore during the War of 1812. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the Spring of 1778, during the war of Independence, the HMS Mermaid surrendered to residents of a small town along the Maryland coast rather than be taken as a prize by the French sailors in pursuit.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On July 24, 1868, a massive storm caused terrible flooding along the Patapsco River Valley, including the mill town of Ellicott City. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1836, Ford McGill, the son  of a former slave one of the first settlers in the tiny colony of Maryland, Liberia, returned to the United States to study medicine, but faced terrible prejudice and discrimination when he arrived in Maryland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.