1. In 1853, the Gadsden Purchase was signed in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This purchase saw the United States government acquire land that would become part of Arizona and New Mexico, completing the acquisition of all territory that makes up the US today.

2. President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act into law on January 27, 1906. This act allowed the President to designate and protect national monuments, leading to the preservation of iconic sites like the Grand Canyon and El Morro.

3. In 1943, New Mexico became the site of a major military installation when the Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range was activated. This range, now known as Holloman Air Force Base, would go on to play a crucial role in American military operations for decades to come.

4. On January 27, 1951, the first atomic bomb test at the Nevada Test Site was mistakenly observed by a group of New Mexicans as a UFO. The incident became one of the earliest and most enduring examples of UFO folklore in America.

5. In 1967, a major environmental disaster occurred in New Mexico when a tanker carrying jet fuel crashed and exploded just outside of Albuquerque. The resulting fire killed ten people and burned over a million gallons of fuel, causing irreversible damage to the surrounding ecosystem.