In 1789, Pope Pius VI asked Bishop John Carroll to build a cathedral in the area of Baltimore, Maryland. Bishop Carroll was the first bishop name in the United States and his Diocese of Baltimore consisted of the original 13 colonies and a third of what is today considered the United States.
Bishop Carroll commissioned architect Benjamin Latrobe to design the new cathedral. Unfortunately Bishop Carroll died before its completion.
The cathedral was dedicated on this date in 1821.
The Baltimore Catechism of 1884 was formulated at the cathedral, and the Oblate Sisters of Providence were founded there as the first religious order of black sisters.
In 1993, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops designated the cathedral as a national shrine.
In August 2011, the basilica received some damage from a 5.8-magnitude earthquake in Virginia.
- Little White Book, Diocese of Saginaw