1. On December 20, 1820, Maine became the 23rd state of the United States, separating from Massachusetts.

2. On the same date in 1862, the final day of the Battle of Fredericksburg was fought during the Civil War. Many soldiers from Maine fought in this battle and suffered heavy casualties.

3. December 20, 1931, marked the opening of the Maine Turnpike, the first toll road in Maine. It connected Kittery to Portland and drastically improved transportation in the state.

4. In 1944, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-17 bomber crashed into Elephant Mountain in Maine, killing all 10 crew members on board. The wreckage was not discovered until over 20 years later in 1962.

5. On December 20, 2013, Maine Governor Paul LePage made headlines by claiming that Out-of-State drug dealers with names like "D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty" were coming to Maine and impregnating "white girls." His comments were widely criticized for being racist and inaccurate.