1. On March 20, 1916, the Maryland state flag was officially adopted by the General Assembly. The flag features the colors and symbols of the Calvert and Crossland families, who were early colonizers of Maryland.
2. In 1852, Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery in Maryland on March 20th. Tubman later became a leader of the Underground Railroad, helping hundreds of enslaved people escape to freedom.
3. On March 20, 1819, a fire broke out in the Maryland State House in Annapolis. Despite efforts to put out the flames, the building suffered significant damage and had to be rebuilt.
4. In 1949, Johns Hopkins University established the first School of Hygiene and Public Health in the United States on March 20th. The school has since been renamed the Bloomberg School of Public Health and is a leader in public health research and education.
5. On March 20, 1828, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company was chartered by the Maryland General Assembly. The canal, which runs from Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, Maryland, played an important role in the transportation of goods and people in the mid-19th century.