1. On October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared the first national Thanksgiving Day. This day was designated to give gratitude and appreciation to God for the success and victories of the Union Army during the Civil War.

2. On October 3, 1951, the first African American student, Hiram Whittle, was admitted to the University of Maryland Law School. This admission paved the way for more diversity and integration in Maryland's educational institutions.

3. On October 3, 1942, the USS Frederick, a Navy destroyer, was launched at the Bethlehem Steel Shipyard in Sparrows Point, Maryland. It served in World War II and the Korean War and was named after the city of Frederick, Maryland.

4. On October 3, 2001, the Maryland State House in Annapolis was closed due to the threat of anthrax after a tainted letter was opened in a Senate office building in Washington, D.C. This incident highlighted the vulnerability of government buildings to bioterrorism.

5. On October 3, 1789, George Washington visited Frederick, Maryland, on his way to New York City to be inaugurated as the first president of the United States. He stayed at the Schifferstadt Architectural Museum, which is now a historic house museum and landmark in Frederick.