1. On October 11, 1861, the Civil War Battle of Balls Bluff took place in Leesburg, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Maryland. Maryland soldiers fought on both sides of the conflict, and the Union defeat at Balls Bluff led to increased scrutiny of President Lincoln's war efforts.

2. The Baltimore Colts played their first game on October 11, 1953. The team, which would later become the Indianapolis Colts, defeated the Chicago Bears 13-9 in front of a crowd of over 30,000 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.

3. On October 11, 1776, the Continental Navy's first successful mission took place off the coast of Cape May, New Jersey. The ship involved in the mission, which saw the capture of a British supply vessel, was called the Andrew Doria and was built in Maryland.

4. Maryland's current governor, Larry Hogan, was born on October 11, 1956. Hogan, who assumed office in 2015, is only the second Republican governor of Maryland in over 50 years.

5. On October 11, 2018, the University of Maryland dedicated a memorial to football player Jordan McNair, who had died earlier that year from heatstroke suffered during a team workout. The memorial, a bronze statue of McNair, was unveiled outside Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium.