1. On December 22, 1902, the Colorado-Yule Marble Company was incorporated in Marble, Colorado. The company played a major role in the development of the town and the surrounding area, as it operated one of the largest marble quarries in the world.

2. In 1920, on December 22, Vail Mountain opened to the public for the first time. This would eventually lead to the development of one of the world's premier ski resorts, which now attracts thousands of visitors each year.

3. On December 22, 1935, a massive earthquake struck the city of Trinidad, Colorado. The earthquake was one of the strongest ever recorded in the state and caused significant damage throughout the region.

4. In 1972, on December 22, Colorado Governor John Vanderhoof signed a bill that legalized abortion in the state. At the time, Colorado was only the third state in the country to do so.

5. On December 22, 2001, NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft successfully landed on the Red Planet's surface. The mission was partly led by a team of scientists from the University of Colorado at Boulder, who played a key role in managing the craft and analyzing the data it returned.