1. On January 18, 1912, New Mexico officially became the 47th state in the United States of America. This came after years of struggle for statehood, including a territorial status that lasted for nearly sixty years.

2. The Navajo Nation, one of the largest Native American tribes in the United States, marks January 18 as the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of 1868. This treaty granted the Navajos the right to return to their ancestral homeland in what is now New Mexico after years of forced relocation and displacement.

3. January 18, 1884, marked the opening of the first permanent public library in New Mexico. Located in Santa Fe, the library was established with funding from the Carnegie Foundation and quickly became a vital cultural center for the city.

4. In 1974, on January 18, longtime New Mexico legislator and civil rights activist Dr. E. A. "Tony" Mares proposed a bill that would make Spanish the official language of New Mexico. The bill did not pass, but it sparked a larger conversation about the importance of preserving the state's unique cultural heritage.

5. On January 18, 1948, former New Mexico governor and three-time presidential candidate Thomas E. Dewey delivered a speech in Albuquerque in support of Dwight D. Eisenhower's candidacy for president. The speech drew a large crowd and signaled the growing importance of New Mexico in national politics.