Jan. 30, 1649: The deposed King Charles I, whose forces were defeated in the English Civil War (1642-1651), is executed by beheading in London. Charles’ death essentially ends the dream of the family of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, who died two years earlier, of extending its control from the province of Maine to all of New […]

Jan. 29, 1890: U.S. House Speaker Thomas Brackett Reed, a Republican from Portland, takes action to end the “disappearing quorum” tactic used by House Democrats to prevent House business from being conducted. He marks members “present” even if they refuse to respond to a roll call. The procedure survives a court challenge and becomes part […]

Jan. 28, 1768: Moses Little and Jonathan Bagley, both of Newbury, Massachusetts, receive a grant for land around the falls on the Androscoggin River from the Pejepscot Proprietors. A condition of the grant is that 50 families live there in 50 houses by June 1, 1774. In the fall of 1770, Paul Hildreth becomes the […]

Jan. 20, 1998: Central Maine Power Co. submits to federal officials a report estimating that the cost of restoring electrical power to about 632,000 Maine residents who lost it in a regionwide ice storm would reach $55 million. The amount is more than double the $25 million figure the company cited on Jan. 12, five days […]

Jan. 19, 1929: The National Park Service changes the name of Lafayette National Park, on Maine’s Mount Desert Island, to Acadia National Park. The park became a public land preserve in 1916 as Sieur de Monts National Monument. When it was elevated to national park status in 1919, it took the name “Lafayette” in honor […]