July 5, 1906: John Wesley “Jack” Coombs, a former baseball star at Freeport High School and Colby College, debuts for the Philadelphia Athletics, pitching a seven-hit shutout to defeat the Washington Senators, 3-0. Coombs plays 14 seasons in the major leagues, compiling a 158-110 pitching record with a career ERA of 2.78. He pitches for […]

July 4, 1786: Ten years to the day after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the residents of a part of Falmouth called the Neck achieve some independence of their own when their home area becomes incorporated as the separate community of Portland. What is now downtown Portland remained largely in ruins for many […]

July 3, 1847: Cannons boom and bells ring in Augusta as President James K. Polk (1795-1849) pays a call in the city at the invitation of the Legislature, which had learned Polk was planning a New England tour. The president and several officials traveling with him – including Secretary of State and future President James […]

July 2, 1863: Col. Joshua Chamberlain (1828-1914) of Brunswick, while suffering from malaria and dysentery, successfully leads the 20th Maine Regiment in fending off a Confederate attack by Col. William Oates’ 15th Alabama Regiment at the extreme left of the Union Army’s line at Little Round Top, helping enable the Union forces to win the […]

July 1, 1950: The newly constructed Scarborough Downs racetrack opens for its first races. The facility includes a grandstand that can hold 6,500 spectators, stables for 1,000 horses and parking for 6,000 cars. The $1 million complex was carved from a patch of woods in 73 days. The track was built despite opposition from anti-gambling […]

June 30, 1818: As a result of successful negotiations with the British in 1817, the United States regains control of Eastport, which the British had occupied since seizing it – and the rest of eastern Maine – during the War of 1812. The Americans relinquish claims to islands east of Eastport that now are part […]

June 27, 1820: Maine’s first Legislature establishes the Medical School of Maine and puts it under the control of the trustees and overseers of Bowdoin College. Legislators supply $1,500 for initial expenses and authorize a $1,000 annual payment after that, although that ceases in 1834. The school opens in 1821 in Bowdoin’s Massachusetts Hall, then […]