1. Arizona Became a State
On February 14, 1912, President William Howard Taft signed a proclamation that made Arizona the 48th state in the United States. However, it was not until February 23, 1912, that Arizona officially became a state.

2. The First Hispanic Justice of the Supreme Court
On February 23, 2009, Sonia Sotomayor, a native of the Bronx and a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, became the first Hispanic Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

3. Baseball Spring Training Begins
In Arizona, February 23 marks the beginning of baseball's spring training season. Every year, Major League teams descend upon Arizona to play exhibition games and prepare for the upcoming season.

4. John Wesley Powell's Expedition
On February 23, 1869, John Wesley Powell began his expedition down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Powell was a geologist, ethnologist, and explorer who led the first official U.S. government expedition into the Grand Canyon.

5. Arizona Statehood Day
Every year in Arizona, February 14 is celebrated as Statehood Day, the anniversary of the day President Taft signed the proclamation that made Arizona a state. But February 23 is also celebrated as Statehood Day because it was the day that Arizona officially became a state.