1. In 1775, a group of Rhode Island colonists captured the British schooner "HMS Hope" in the Narragansett Bay. This act was a significant contribution to the American Revolutionary War effort.
2. On February 20, 1820, the U.S. Congress passed the Missouri Compromise, which allowed Missouri to enter the United States as a slave state while admitting Maine as a free state. This compromise kept the balance of free and slave states in the Union.
3. In 1839, the first state normal school - which later became Rhode Island College - opened its doors in Providence. The school was established to train teachers and create a standard for education in the state.
4. On February 20, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified in Rhode Island, guaranteeing women's suffrage. Rhode Island was the 34th state to ratify the amendment.
5. In 2003, the Providence Bruins hockey team set a franchise record for most power-play goals in a single game with six against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The game ended in a 9-2 victory for the Bruins.