1. On September 20, 1780, the Battle of Camden occurred in which the British Army defeated the Patriot forces during the American Revolutionary War. Maine was not yet a state at the time, but the battle had significant implications for the war effort in the region.
2. On September 20, 1819, Maine became a state after splitting from Massachusetts. This event is now celebrated as Maine Statehood Day.
3. In 1870, the Portland Society of Natural History was founded on September 20. This organization later became the Portland Museum of Art, which is one of the oldest and largest art museums in Maine.
4. On September 20, 1906, a massive hurricane struck the coast of Maine and caused widespread damage and flooding. The hurricane remains one of the deadliest and most destructive natural disasters to ever hit the state, with over 100 fatalities and millions of dollars in damage.
5. In 2004, on September 20, the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine launched a new training ship called the State of Maine. The ship serves as a classroom and training vessel for students in the academy's marine programs, and it has since been used for numerous research and training missions.