Retro Baltimore

Decades before the Emancipation Proclamation abolished slavery, white legislators decided to create a homeland back in Africa for free Black people. That land would become Liberia — with Maryland County, formerly the independent Republic of Maryland — at its southernmost point.

The 1896 Orioles played an exhibition game at St. Charles College in Ellicott City.

For four years in Baltimore, the dapper first baseman known as “Diamond Jim” wowed crowds with his hurricane swings, monstrous wallops and stormy outbursts.

As the start of summer marks the traditional beginning of crabbing season, the prices for Maryland’s prized crustaceans this year are skyrocketing. In the early 1900s similar price hikes and supply issues nearly ended the vocation of many Black entrepreneurs, who were credited with crafting crabs into the cakes we enjoy today.

While modern Baltimore is known for its drag brunches and lively modern ballroom culture, the blossoming of Baltimore’s drag culture dates back to prohibition— an era when drag balls took center stage.

A Johns Hopkins University researcher’s work into the bioluminescence of lightning bugs from the 1940s to the 1960s gave thousands of Baltimore and Maryland youngsters not only joy, but a little extra money, too.

The name Julius Salsbury might not ring any bells for most Baltimoreans in 2021, but there was a time when he was the talk of the town. His myth grew larger with each retelling of his story — a story that inspired books and movies.

Fifty years ago, the Orioles pitching staff was one for the ages with Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, Jim Palmer and Pat Dobson each winning at least 20 games.

When the 1918 pandemic hit Baltimore nearly 5,400 persons died within a few weeks. The influenza landed lethally in October, prompting authorities to close schools, churches, synagogues, racetracks and theaters.

A sure sign that spring has arrived in Maryland with summer not far behind, is the annual running of the Preakness Stakes at the Pimlico Race Course, and it happens for the 146th time this Saturday.

Benjamin Banneker is among the first Americans who documented the lifespan of cicadas, researchers Asamoah Nkwanta and his wife, Janet Barber, found.

In the early 1960s (with a nudge from the government, which offered do-it-yourself pamphlets), homeowners began constructing bunkers made of concrete and steel in their basements and backyards. Never mind their slim chance of survival; shelters gave folks hope against unseen horrors.