June 2, 1851: Gov. John Hubbard signs what becomes known as the Maine Law, which bans the sale of alcoholic beverages except for “medicinal, mechanical, or manufacturing purposes.” The law, for which Portland Mayor Neal Dow lobbied furiously, also includes a search-and-seizure provision that enables any three voters to obtain a search warrant if they […]

June 1, 1840: The U.S. census begins and eventually will show that Bangor’s population has reached 8,627, a 201 percent increase from the 1830 total. The then-booming lumber town was incorporated as a city in 1834. June 1, 1849: Inventors, businessmen and identical twins Freelan Oscar Stanley and Francis Edgar Stanley are born in Kingfield. […]

May 31, 1820: The Maine Legislature convenes its first session at the original Cumberland County Courthouse in Portland. The session lasts until June 28. The legislators meet there because the state offices in a nearby two-story Federal-style structure at the corner of Congress and Myrtle streets don’t have enough space to accommodate the House and […]

May 30, 1979: Seventeen of the 18 people aboard a Downeast Airlines commuter plane from Boston die when the plane crashes into a heavily wooded area on Otter Point in Owls Head. The pilot, trying to land at Knox County Regional Airport in Owls Head, made a request for a diversion to Augusta because of […]

  May 28, 1821: Maine’s first governor, William King, resigns from office to become a special minister appointed by James Monroe and assigned to negotiate a treaty with Spain. Maine Senate President William D. Williamson, who later becomes Maine’s first state historian, succeeds King as governor. May 28, 2005: The two-part TV miniseries “Empire Falls,” […]

May 26, 2015: The Penobscot Nation and the Passamaquoddy Tribe withdraw their nonvoting representatives to the Maine Legislature, saying state policies fail to respect the tribes’ sovereignty, deny members sustenance fishing rights and ignore tribal culture. The Penobscots’ Rep. Wayne Mitchell and Rep. Matthew Dana, of the Passamaquoddys, walk out of the House of Representatives […]

May 25, 1965: In a bout lasting little more than two minutes, Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) defeats Sonny Liston (about 1930-1970) in the only world heavyweight championship fight ever fought in Maine. The lightly attended match at what then was known as the Central Maine Youth Center, in Lewiston, is notable for accusations by many witnesses […]