16 Stories from Maine that Turned Up in News Across the Country

Maine doesn't turn up often in national news, but every once in a while, we have a story that captures reporters' attention from across the country.

Maine? Is that part of Canada?

How many times have you been asked, by someone from out of state, one of many stupid questions, like 'where is Maine' and 'is that part of Canada?' It's amazing to me, sometimes, how little people know about our state.

Didn't they study geography in school and learn that there are 50 states, including one way up north called Maine? I say that, but I'm terrible at geography, so I guess I shouldn't judge.

And honestly, I think Mainers are pretty content in their anonymity. Less interference by people-from-away. Of course, that was a lot easier before the days of social media and computers.

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Are all of these stories about Stephen King?

While that would make sense, in fact, only a couple involve Maine's most famous resident. There are a variety of stories that have made the nation sit up and take notice,  including happy stories of historic events happening in the Pine Tree State, as well as crimes that were too big for the nation to ignore. In recent years, each time one of these stories has broken, I wonder how many people were suddenly Googling Maine. Where is it? Is it part of Canada?

So I put together a list of 16 stories that have found their way into national, and even international, newscasts. This is a small sampling, but it spans over 80 years of Maine's history. I remember most of these...at least the ones that happened during my lifetime and I also recall hearing about some of them as my family watched the evening news. How many of these events do you remember?