1. North Dakota became a state: On December 23, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison signed the proclamation admitting North Dakota into the Union as the 39th state.

2. The deadliest tornado in North Dakota: On December 23, 1957, an F5 tornado struck Fargo, North Dakota, resulting in 11 fatalities and causing over $20 million in damages.

3. The first radio broadcast in North Dakota: On December 23, 1922, KFGO radio station in Fargo made its first broadcast, becoming the first radio station in North Dakota.

4. Birth of a Pulitzer Prize winner: On December 23, 1928, Ralph John Hultgren, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, was born in Fingal, North Dakota.

5. The coldest temperature recorded in North Dakota: On December 23, 1936, the temperature in Parshall, North Dakota, dropped to a frigid -60°F, the coldest temperature ever recorded in the state.