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 […]

May 24, 1977: It’s 10:15 p.m., and the performer at the Augusta Civic Center is long overdue on the stage. The waiting crowd is on edge. Suddenly, a bus rolls up to a back door and a double line of police officers creates a shielded exit path to the building. Inside, the lights grow dim […]

May 23, 1759: Province of Massachusetts Bay Gov. Thomas Pownall, accompanied by a British military detachment of 136 men, climbs a hill on the east side of the Penobscot River north of Brewer and affixes a leaden plate asserting Britain’s claim to the territory. The British Empire – and its American subjects – at the […]

May 22, 2019: Initial test results of Maine wastewater treatment plant sludge reveal the presence of chemicals that are raising health concerns nationwide. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is gathering the information as part of new testing requirements for three types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly called “forever chemicals” or PFAS. PFAS are […]