1. In 1846, during the Mexican-American War, the American army under General Stephen W. Kearny took control of Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico, without any resistance.

2. On August 29, 1877, the Lincoln County War, a conflict between rival factions over control of the cattle and mercantile trade in Lincoln County, came to a close with the capture of Billy the Kid by Sheriff Pat Garrett.

3. In 1911, the United States established the first national forest in New Mexico, the Gila National Forest, which encompasses over 2.7 million acres of land and is home to over 1,500 species of plants and animals.

4. On August 29, 1958, New Mexico State University established its first library branch in Alamogordo, New Mexico, which today is known as the Oliver B. Lowe Library.

5. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina, one of the costliest and deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history, caused flooding and destruction in New Mexico, despite being more than 1,000 miles away from the state. The storm's remnants caused severe thunderstorms, hail, and flooding in southeastern New Mexico, resulting in millions of dollars in damages.