1. On December 20, 1783, the Continental Army's headquarters in Newburgh, New York announced the end of the American Revolutionary War to the soldiers stationed at Fort Mercer in Red Bank, New Jersey.

2. In 1860, the New Jersey State Agricultural Society held its first annual meeting in Trenton, discussing ways to improve farming practices and increase agricultural production in the state.

3. In 1905, the world-renowned magician and escape artist Harry Houdini performed one of his most famous stunts in Trenton, freeing himself from being handcuffed, locked in a chest, and thrown into the Delaware River.

4. On December 20, 1945, the New Jersey state Highway Commission approved the construction of the Garden State Parkway, a major toll road connecting the state's northern and southern regions.

5. In 1972, the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission was established, tasked with overseeing the transformation of a vast swampland area in northeastern New Jersey into a thriving commercial and residential hub.