1. Maryland became the 7th U.S. state on April 28, 1788. However, July 13 marks an important date in Maryland's history as it was on this day in 1868 that the state's new constitution was ratified, removing the requirement of property ownership for voting rights.

2. July 13, 1944, is the date when the famous Baltimore-born composer and pianist, Eubie Blake, received a Medal of Merit from President Franklin D. Roosevelt for his contributions to the musical arts.

3. In 1977, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, launched the International Cometary Explorer spacecraft to explore the outer reaches of the solar system. On July 13, the spacecraft became the first man-made object to pass through the tail of a comet.

4. On July 13, 1997, the Baltimore Orioles celebrated Cal Ripken Jr.'s historic 2,131st consecutive game, breaking the previous Major League Baseball record held by Lou Gehrig. The game was played at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and was attended by an estimated 46,000 fans.

5. In 2013, the National Pinball Museum in Baltimore closed its doors after losing its lease. The museum had been located in the historic Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., before relocating to Baltimore in 2012. The museum showcased over 100 pinball machines and artifacts from the history of pinball.