1. Early in the morning on May 3, 1861, Confederate troops under General Thomas J. Jackson seized the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), in what is considered one of the first military engagements of the American Civil War.

2. On May 3, 1950, the first horserace was run at Maryland's Pimlico Race Course, which would eventually become the home of the Preakness Stakes, the second event in horse racing's Triple Crown.

3. In 1941, Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Sundra threw a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Athletics, the first and only no-hitter of his career. The game took place on May 3, and the Orioles won 13-0.

4. On May 3, 1813, British troops landed on the grounds of Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor, beginning the famous Battle of Baltimore. The battle would later inspire Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner."

5. In 1980, the Maryland Renaissance Festival opened for the first time on May 3, in Crownsville. The festival has since grown to become one of the largest Renaissance fairs in the country, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.