1. In 1843, the Vermont State Hospital in Waterbury opened its doors as the first state-run mental health institution in the United States.
2. On April 6, 1865, Vermont Governor J. Gregory Smith telegraphed President Abraham Lincoln offering the services of Vermont troops to aid in the Civil War's final push, just days before Lincoln's assassination.
3. In 1909, Vermont became the first state in the country to create a statewide forest fire prevention system, which included statewide telegraph and telephone alerts.
4. April 6, 1917, marked the entrance of Vermont soldiers into World War I with the formation of the 57th Pioneer Infantry Regiment.
5. The Vermont State House, constructed in 1857 and 1858, was dedicated on April 6, 1859, and remains one of the oldest and best-preserved state capitol buildings in the country.