1. In 1644, the first official town meeting in Rhode Island history was held in Portsmouth. This meeting established a government structure that would later be adopted by other towns throughout the state.

2. In 1775, the first military action of the American Revolutionary War took place in Rhode Island. British forces seized the colony's gunpowder supply in an effort to quell rebellion.

3. In 1934, the state ratified the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, officially ending prohibition. Rhode Island was one of the first states to do so.

4. In 1967, Brown University students launched a week-long sit-in to protest the school's involvement in the Vietnam War. The protest ended with the occupation of university buildings and the arrest of nearly 400 students.

5. In 2013, the state legalized same-sex marriage, making Rhode Island the 10th state in the U.S. to do so. The bill received support from both Democrats and Republicans.