1. In 1830, the first issue of the Western Reserve Chronicle, an anti-slavery newspaper, was published in Warren, Ohio. The paper played an important role in the abolitionist movement in Ohio and the Midwest.

2. On April 6, 1940, the first ever Major League Baseball game was played at the brand new Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1 in front of a crowd of over 76,000 fans.

3. In 1861, the Civil War began and Ohio became an important state in the Union's fight against the Confederacy. Over 300,000 Ohioans served in the Union army and more Ohio soldiers died in battle than any other state except New York and Pennsylvania.

4. Mary Ann Bickerdyke, a Civil War nurse from Ohio, was known as "Mother" to the soldiers she cared for. She was instrumental in improving sanitary conditions and reducing the death rate in Union army hospitals.

5. In 1968, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. He spoke about the need for racial equality and justice in America and encouraged the audience to continue the fight for civil rights.