1. On August 15, 1774, the First Provincial Congress of New Jersey convened in New Brunswick to discuss the colony's response to the Intolerable Acts passed by the British Parliament in retaliation for the Boston Tea Party. This Congress marked the beginning of New Jersey's active involvement in the American Revolution.

2. August 15, 1782, witnessed the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War and recognized the independence of the United States from Great Britain. New Jersey delegates, John Witherspoon and Nathaniel Scudder, played a significant role in the negotiations that led to the treaty's signing.

3. The Morris Canal, one of New Jersey's earliest transportation networks, opened on August 15, 1824. This 102-mile waterway connected Jersey City to the Delaware River, and played a crucial role in the state's economic development by facilitating the transport of coal, iron, and other raw materials.

4. August 15, 1929, marked the opening of the George Washington Bridge, a modern marvel of engineering that spans the Hudson River and connects Fort Lee, New Jersey, to New York City. The bridge cost $60 million to build and was hailed as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" upon its completion.

5. On August 15, 1969, a massive music festival known as Woodstock began in Bethel, New York, just over the state border from New Jersey. The event attracted over 400,000 people and had a lasting impact on American culture, becoming a symbol of the counterculture movement of the 1960s. Many New Jersey residents were among the attendees of the iconic event.