1. In 1696, Maryland's colonial assembly met on February 29th to pass an act regulating the value of tobacco.

2. On February 29, 1864, Maryland was officially declared a Union State after adopting a new state constitution that abolished slavery.

3. Two notable Maryland politicians were born on February 29th: former Governor Parris Glendening (born 1942) and former Baltimore Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro III (born 1929).

4. In 1932, the first winter Olympics were held on February 29th in Lake Placid, New York. Maryland-native John Heaton won a silver medal in skeleton, becoming the first American to win an Olympic medal in the sport.

5. On February 29, 2012, Maryland became the eighth state to legalize same-sex marriage, after Governor Martin O'Malley signed a bill into law.