1. Maryland ratified the United States Constitution on July 24, 1788, becoming the seventh state to do so. This played a significant role in the eventual adoption of the Constitution as the supreme law of the land.

2. On July 24, 1865, the Sultana, a steamboat carrying over 2,000 passengers (most of them Union soldiers returning from the Civil War), exploded and sank near Memphis, Tennessee. Many of the passengers were from Maryland, and the disaster remains one of the deadliest maritime accidents in United States history.

3. July 24, 1934 marked the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, a 4.3-mile span linking Maryland's Eastern and Western shores. The bridge was the first of its kind in the region, and dramatically reduced travel times for residents, tourists, and businesses.

4. Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, was born in Baltimore on July 24, 1908. Marshall was a tireless advocate for civil rights and social justice, and his legacy continues to inspire generations of Marylanders.

5. On July 24, 1915, the Maryland State Police was founded as the first centralized police organization in the United States. Originally tasked with enforcing prohibition laws, the MSP now provides a wide range of law enforcement services throughout Maryland.