1. On December 10, 1896, Utah became the 45th state in the United States. The state had been fighting for statehood for almost 50 years, and the approval of the Enabling Act by Congress in July 1894 was the first step towards becoming a state.

2. The Great Salt Lake froze on December 10, 1929, during one of the coldest winters in Utah's history. The lake, which is typically known for its high salt content and buoyancy, froze completely over and was thick enough for people to walk on.

3. The Golden Spike National Historic Site was established on December 10, 1957. The site commemorates the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States, which took place on May 10, 1869, with the driving of the golden spike in Promontory Summit, Utah.

4. On December 10, 1973, a plane carrying the University of Utah basketball team crashed in the mountains of Colorado, killing all 29 passengers on board. The tragedy, known as the "Lost 29," remains one of the worst accidents in college sports history.

5. The Sundance Film Festival, one of the largest independent film festivals in the world, began on December 10, 1978, in Park City, Utah. The festival was founded by Robert Redford and has since become a major event in the film industry, drawing thousands of filmmakers and moviegoers to the state each year.