1. On December 18, 1846, the U.S. Army of the West arrived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, during the Mexican-American War. The occupation of the city marked the beginning of the U.S. annexation of New Mexico.

2. In 1885, the town of Raton was incorporated on December 18, becoming the first town in New Mexico to be incorporated under territorial law.

3. The Navajo Nation Council convened in Window Rock, Arizona, on December 18, 1922, to discuss the formalization of the Navajo Nation government. This meeting marked the beginning of the transition from the traditional Navajo leadership to a more centralized, Western-style government.

4. On December 18, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Industrial Recovery Act, which established the National Recovery Administration (NRA). The NRA set minimum wages and maximum hours for workers, and New Mexico was one of the states that participated in the program.

5. The New Mexico State Parks Division was established on December 18, 1955, by the state legislature. Today, the division manages 35 parks and historic sites throughout the state, providing recreational opportunities and preserving New Mexico's natural and cultural heritage.