1. On May 23, 1785, John Eager Howard was elected as the fifth governor of Maryland. Howard was a Revolutionary War veteran who had fought at the Battle of Cowpens, and he would go on to serve two terms as governor.

2. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, America's first commercial railroad, was chartered on May 23, 1827, in Baltimore, Maryland. The railroad would later play a key role in the transportation of goods and people throughout the eastern United States.

3. On May 23, 1934, notorious gangster John Dillinger and his gang robbed the Merchants National Bank in Greencastle, Maryland. The robbery netted the gang over $100,000 in cash and securities, but Dillinger would be killed less than two months later by FBI agents in Chicago.

4. Maryland's first ever state lottery was held on May 23, 1973. The lottery, which featured a grand prize of $50,000, was a huge success and paved the way for similar lotteries in other states.

5. Baltimore Orioles third baseman Brooks Robinson set a Major League Baseball record on May 23, 1975, by playing in his 2,155th consecutive game. Robinson was known for his exceptional fielding skills and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.