1. On November 24, 1854, Maine Senator William Pitt Fessenden was appointed as the Secretary of Treasury during the presidency of Franklin Pierce. Fessenden played a significant role in improving the nation's financial system during his tenure.

2. In 1871, the Great Fire of Portland, one of the most devastating fires in American history, broke out in Portland, Maine. The fire destroyed over 1,500 buildings and left 10,000 people homeless. It was eventually brought under control on November 24, four days after it started.

3. On November 24, 1917, the first ship launched from the South Portland shipyard bound for Europe during World War I. The ship was part of the emergency shipbuilding program that aimed to provide the allies with much-needed supplies.

4. In 1941, the USS Portland, a heavy cruiser named after the city of Portland, Maine, was commissioned. The ship went on to serve in World War II and the Korean War and was decommissioned in 1974.

5. On November 24, 2008, Maine became the first state in the United States to implement a system of ranked-choice voting in its primary and general elections. This system allows voters to rank the candidates in order of preference, ensuring that the winner has a majority of the votes.