1. Statehood Anniversary: December 31, 1890, marks the day when Wyoming became the 44th state to join the union. The statehood proclamation was signed a few weeks previously by President Benjamin Harrison on July 10th, but Wyoming officially became a state on this date.

2. The Blizzard of 1978: December 31st that year marked the beginning of one of the most severe blizzards in Wyoming history. The storm began on New Year's Eve and lasted throughout the first week of January. The Blizzard of 1978 brought nearly 30 inches of snow to the state in just three days and resulted in the deaths of eight people.

3. Wyoming's First Christmas: December 31, 1806, was the first recorded Christmas that was celebrated in Wyoming. Explorer Zebulon Pike and his party camped in the area now known as Pike's Stockade the night before Christmas, and they likely had a small celebration with their group.

4. First Wyoming Governor Sworn in: On December 31, 1869, John Allen Campbell became the first governor to be sworn in after Wyoming Territory was established. Campbell served as governor for four years and helped pave the way for Wyoming to become a state.

5. Wyoming's First Woman Governor: Nellie Tayloe Ross, the first woman governor in the United States, was inaugurated on January 5, 1925, but her journey to the governor's office began on December 31, 1924, when her husband, Governor William Bradford Ross, passed away unexpectedly. Nellie Ross filled the remainder of her husband's two-year term and went on to serve a full term as governor from 1930-1933.