1. In 1656, the Dutch colonial governor of New Amsterdam Van Rensselaer granted a patent for a sawmill to Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, making him the first official sawmill owner in the area. This marked the start of industrialization in what is now New York City.

2. On January 8, 1815, the Battle of New Orleans took place, where American forces led by General Andrew Jackson defeated the British army in one of the final battles of the War of 1812. This victory boosted the morale of the American people and helped to establish Jackson as a national hero.

3. In 1835, the New York Herald became the first newspaper to sell for only one cent. This innovation made newspapers affordable for the masses and transformed the way news was disseminated and consumed.

4. On January 8, 1896, the first X-ray photograph in the United States was taken by Dr. Henry Louis Smith of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. This technology revolutionized the field of medicine by allowing doctors to peer inside the human body without surgery.

5. In 1947, the Brooklyn Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson to a contract, making him the first African-American player in Major League Baseball. This historic event paved the way for desegregation in sports and helped to break down racial barriers in American society.