1. Maine became the 23rd state in the United States on July 31, 1820. It was previously part of Massachusetts, but due to political disagreements and economic differences, it was granted statehood to form a new state.

2. The first American woman to earn a college degree, Mary Lyon, was born in Buckland, Massachusetts on July 31, 1797. She later founded Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in Massachusetts, which was the first institution of higher education for women in the United States.

3. On July 31, 1854, John W. Deering was born in Portland, Maine. He went on to become a successful businessman and philanthropist, as well as a founder of the Deering Oaks park in Portland.

4. Maine writer Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine on September 21, 1947, but he considers July 31, 1969, the day he married his wife Tabitha Spruce, to be the most important day in his life.

5. On July 31, 1997, the Maine Sunday Telegram broke a story about a contaminated sludge incident in Auburn, Maine. The sludge was found to contain toxic levels of dioxins and other chemicals, and the incident led to several lawsuits and regulatory changes regarding the disposal of hazardous materials in Maine.