1608, Aug. Capt. John Smith explored Patuxent River.
1647. At Piscataway Creek, Susquehannocks moved to Susquehannock Fort.
1680. Piscataways abandoned Piscataway Fort on Piscataway Creek, moving to Zekiah Swamp to escape raids of Iroquois and Susquehannocks.
1695. Prince George's County erected from Charles and Calvert counties (Chapter 13, Acts of 1695, May session)
1698. Courthouse opened at Charles Town.
1721. First Courthouse at Upper Marlboro completed.
1730. Daniel Carroll (1730-1796), signer of U.S. Constitution, born in Upper Marlboro.
1735, Jan. 8. John Carroll (1735-1815), first Catholic archbishop in the United States, founder of Georgetown University, born at Upper Marlboro.
1745, Oct. 29. Thomas Sim Lee (1745-1819), Governor of Maryland, born in Prince George's County.
1750, March. Robert Bowie (1750-1818), Governor of Maryland, born at “Mattaponi”, near Upper Marlboro.
1752, Dec. 6. Gabriel Duvall, who served as first U.S. Comptroller of the Treasury (1802-11), and as Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court (1811-35), born in Prince George's County.
1772, Nov. 8. William Wirt (1772-1834), who served as U.S. Attorney General, 1817-29, born in Bladensburg.
1782, June. Rochambeau's French troops camped at Beltsville on their return from Yorktown.
1783. Samuel Sprigg (1783-1855), Governor of Maryland, born in Prince George's County.
1784, June, 14. First tethered hot-air balloon flight in United States launched at Baltimore, designed by Peter Carnes of Bladensburg.
1789, June 18 - 1801, March 31. Benjamin Stoddert (1751-1813) of Bladensburg served as U.S. Secretary of the Navy.
1801, May 30. Second Courthouse opened at Upper Marlboro.
1814, Aug. 24. Battle of Bladensburg, sailors and marines under Joshua Barney fought rear-guard action.
1814, Aug. 27-28. Fort Warburton (now Fort Washington) on Potomac River bombarded by British fleet.
1820, March 20. U.S. Navy Commadore Stephen Decatur (1779-1820) mortally wounded at Bladensburg Dueling Grounds.
1826, Nov. 10. Oden Bowie (1826-1894), Governor of Maryland, born at "Fairview".
1835. Marlboro Academy started.
1842. The Prince George's County Fair started in Upper Marlboro.
1845-1848. Thomas G. Pratt (1804-1869) of Prince George's County served as Governor of Maryland.
1854. Bladensburg incorporated.
1856. Maryland Agricultural College founded at College Park, first college in nation chartered expressly for agricultural experimentation and instruction.
1859, Oct. 5. Maryland Agricultural College opened at College Park, Prince George's County.
1864, July 9. Battle of Monocacy; Confederates defeated Gen. Lew Wallace, and sent cavalry raiders north of Baltimore, then back through Prince George's County.
1865, April 14. John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865) assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, escaped through Prince George's and Charles counties.
1865, April 14. John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865) stopped at house of Mary E. Surratt (1823-1865) in Clinton for weapons.
1870. Laurel incorporated.
![[Town Hall, 14211 School Lane, Upper Marlboro, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/37mun/upper/images/1198-1-932.jpg)
1870. Upper Marlboro incorporated.
1875, March 23. John Henry Scott lynched in Upper Marlboro.
1878, Sept. 1. Michael Green lynched near Upper Marlboro.
1881, Sept. Third Courthouse at Upper Marlboro completed.
1882. Bowie incorporated.
1886. Hyattsville incorporated.
Town Hall, 14211 School Lane, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, October 2004. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
1889, Dec. 11. Joseph Vermillion lynched in Upper Marlboro.
1894, May. "Coxey's Army" encamped at Bladensburg and other Maryland sites after first march on Washington, DC.
1894, Oct. 20. Stephen Williams lynched in Upper Marlboro.
1896. Berwyn Heights incorporated.
1910. Capital Heights incorporated.
1910. Mount Rainier incorporated.
1910. Belsville Agricultural Research Center founded.
1911. Army established flying school at College Park.
1914. Cooperative Extension Service established at College Park.
1914. Maryland Normal and Industrial School founded at Bowie.
1916. Maryland Agricultural College renamed Maryland State College of Agriculture.
1918. Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission created to improve water and sewer service in Prince George's and Montgomery counties.
1920. Maryland State College of Agriculture merged with University of Maryland with its main campus at College Park.
1920. Riverdale Park incorporated.
1922. Brentwood incorporated.
1924. Cottage City incorporated.
1924. Edmonston incorporated.
1924. North Brentwood incorporated.
1927. Colmar Manor incorporated.
1927. Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission formed for Prince George's and Montgomery counties.
1929. Eagle Harbor incorporated.
1931. Cheverly incorporated.
1931. Seat Pleasant incorporated.
1932, May. "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans and supporters traveled through Maryland.
1932, July 28. Gen. Douglas MacArthur drove out remnants of "Bonus Army" from Anacostia Flats to Maryland countryside.
1933. Bladensburg flood.
1935. Maryland Normal and Industrial School at Bowie renamed Maryland Teachers College at Bowie.
1935. Fairmount Heights incorporated.
1936. District Heights incorporated.
1936. University Park incorporated.
1937, June 1. Greenbelt chartered, a New Deal model community.
1939. Glenarden incorporated.
1940. Courthouse at Upper Marlboro extensively enlarged and remodeled.
1942. Bladensburg flood.
1942, Sept. 5. Camp Springs Air Base formed by federal government.
1943, April 8. Camp Springs Air Base renamed Camp Springs Army Air Field.
1945, Feb. 7. Camp Springs Army Air Field reformed as Andrews Field.
1945. College Park incorporated.
1945. Forest Heights incorporated.
1945. Landover Hills incorporated.
1948, June 24. Andrews Field renamed Andrews Air Force Base.
1949. Morningside incorporated.
1953. New Carrollton incorporated.
1954. Bladensburg flood.
1954. University of Maryland integrated, first state university below Mason-Dixon Line to do so.
1958. Prince George's Community College founded.
1959, May. Goddard Space Flight Center opened in Greenbelt.
1960-1968. Levitt and Sons constructed Belair at Bowie "Levittown" housing.
1961. Woodrow Wilson Bridge opened across Potomac River, connecting Prince George's County, Maryland, with Fairfax County, Virginia.
1963. Montgomery Teachers College at Bowie renamed Bowie State College.
1963, Aug. 28. Cars, trains, and busloads of demonstrators entered Maryland on route to March on Washington, DC.
1964, Aug. 16. Capital Beltway (I-495) opened, encircling Washington, DC, by passing through Maryland's Prince George's and Montgomery counties, and Virginia.
1965. Washington Suburban Transit Commission established for Prince George's and Montgomery counties.
1970, Spring. Student rebellion at University of Maryland College Park.
1971 - 1974, Dec. William W. Gullett (Republican), County Executive.
1974, Dec. - 1978, Dec. Winfield M. Kelly, Jr. (Democrat), County Executive.
1976. Washington Metro, rapid transit system for national capital area, opened to link stations in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia.
1978, Dec. - 1982, Dec. Lawrence J. Hogan, Sr. (Republican), County Executive.
1982, Dec. - 1994, Dec. Parris N. Glendening (Democrat), County Executive.
![[photo, Thurgood Marshall Library, Bowie State University, Bowie, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/25univ/bowie/images/1198-1-305.jpg)
1988. Bowie State College reformed as Bowie State University.
1991. New Courthouse, composed of Marbury and Bourne wings, erected behind existing Courthouse, now designated as Duvall Wing.
1994, Dec. - 2002, Dec. 2. Wayne K. Curry (Democrat), County Executive.
Thurgood Marshall Library, Bowie State University, Bowie, Maryland, February 2003. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
![[photo, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Symons Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/25univ/umcp/images/1198-1-503b.jpg)
1997. University of Maryland reorganized as University of Maryland, College Park, part of University System of Maryland.
2000, April 7. Oil spill at Aquasco extended from Swanson Creek into Patuxent River.
2000, June. Beltsville Agricultural Research Center renamed Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center.
2002, Sept. 10. Electronic voting machines first used during primary elections in four counties (Allegany, Dorchester, Montgomery, Prince George's).
2002, Dec. 2 - 2010, Dec. 6. Jack B. Johnson (Democrat), County Executive.
College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Symons Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, August 2003. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
2004, Nov. 3. Fire destroyed second floor of historic Duvall Wing of Courthouse at Upper Marlboro.
2005. Thomas C. Schelling (1921-), University of Maryland, College Park, won Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.
2006, Jan. 19. NASA spacecraft New Horizons, built, operated, and managed by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on route to Pluto.
2006, July. New Woodrow Wilson Bridge opened across Potomac.
2006. John C. Mather (1946-), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, won Nobel Prize in Physics.
2006, Nov. 16. Steny H. Hoyer of Prince George's County elected Majority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives (first Marylander to hold that office).
2009, March 12. Duvall Wing of Courthouse at Upper Marlboro reopened after restoration.
2009, Oct. 1. Andrews Air Force Base renamed Joint Base Andrews Naval Facility Washington.
2010, Dec. 6-. Rushern L. Baker III (Democrat), County Executive.
2011, Feb. 23. First segment of Intercounty Connector (MD Route 200), the State's first all-electronic toll road, opened for Montgomery and Prince George's counties. Covering seven miles, this segment links Gaithersburg with Olney.
2011, Sept. 8-9. Courthouse and County Administration Building closed due to flooding.
2011, Nov. 22. Second segment of Intercounty Connector opened to traffic, linking Olney with Laurel with ten additional miles of highway.
2014, Nov. 9. Intercounty Connector (Maryland Rte. 200) completed for Prince George's and Montgomery counties.
2015, July 14. NASA spacecraft New Horizons, built, operated, and managed by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, flew by Pluto for its exploration of the Kuiper Belt.
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