1. On August 5, 1858, the Old Man of the Mountain, a series of granite cliff ledges in Franconia Notch that resemble the profile of a man's face, was first observed by a surveying team. The Old Man eventually became a symbol of New Hampshire and was featured on the state's license plates for many years. Unfortunately, after years of weathering and erosion, the formation collapsed on May 3, 2003.

2. On August 5, 1908, the Samuel Wentworth Library, a public library in Sandwich, New Hampshire, was dedicated. The library was built with funds donated by Samuel Wentworth, a wealthy businessman and philanthropist who also helped fund the construction of many other public buildings in the state.

3. On August 5, 1911, the first airplane flight in New Hampshire occurred when Walter Brookins, an aviation pioneer, flew a Wright biplane over the city of Keene. This was just eight years after the Wright brothers' famous first flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

4. On August 5, 1936, the Mount Washington Observatory, a weather observatory located at the summit of Mount Washington, recorded the highest wind speed ever directly measured by humans at the time. The wind measured 231 miles per hour, setting a record that stood for 62 years.

5. On August 5, 1974, the New Hampshire State House, located in Concord, caught fire and sustained significant damage. The fire was believed to have been caused by a cigarette that was improperly disposed of in a trash can. Many historical documents and artifacts were lost in the fire, but the building was eventually restored.