1. From 1907 to 1950, February 28 was Montana's official statehood day. In 1950, the state legislature changed the holiday to November 8, the day that President Benjamin Harrison signed the Montana statehood bill in 1889.

2. On February 28, 1929, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake shook western Montana. The quake's epicenter was in the Bitteroot Mountains, and it caused severe damage in the towns of Helena, Butte, and Missoula.

3. In 1974, Montana's first post-Prohibition brewery, Bayern Brewing, was founded on February 28. The Missoula-based brewery specializes in German-style lagers and has won numerous awards for its beer.

4. On February 28, 1873, the National Park Service was established with the signing of the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act. Montana is home to two national parks, Yellowstone and Glacier.

5. Montana's first territorial governor, Sidney Edgerton, was appointed on February 28, 1864. Edgerton had previously served as chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Utah Territory before being named governor of Montana Territory.