1. Nebraska became the 37th state of the United States on December 2, 1867. Prior to achieving statehood, Nebraska was part of the Nebraska Territory, established in 1854.

2. On December 2, 1921, the Nebraska Cornhuskers played their first football game at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Cornhuskers beat the Oklahoma Sooners, 21-7, in front of a crowd of 31,000 fans.

3. Nebraska native William Jennings Bryan, a three-time Democratic nominee for president, was born on December 2, 1860. Bryan was known for his powerful oratory skills and support of populist causes, including free silver.

4. On December 2, 1988, the Nebraska Supreme Court upheld the conviction of John Joubert, a serial killer who had murdered two young boys in Bellevue, Nebraska. Joubert was executed by lethal injection at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in 1996.

5. In 2017, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln celebrated the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in Nebraska. On June 6, 1917, Nebraska became the 14th state to grant women the right to vote. The celebration included a reenactment of the suffrage parade that took place in Lincoln on May 2, 1914.