1. In 1776, the Rhode Island General Assembly became the first colonial legislature to declare its independence from Great Britain, a full two months before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This event is commemorated each year with a reading of the "Declaration of Independence of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” on July 4th.

2. On July 2, 1866, the first streetcars were introduced in Providence, Rhode Island. The system consisted of horse-drawn cars that traveled along rails on Benefit Street and North Main Street. Eventually, the streetcars were electrified and expanded to cover most of the city.

3. In 1910, the first airplane flight in Rhode Island occurred on July 2nd. Aeronaut Harry N. Atwood flew his Wright biplane from Boston to Providence in just over an hour, becoming the first person to fly over the state. Atwood later became a pioneer of the aviation industry, setting several world altitude records and founding his own aviation company.

4. On July 2, 1937, the world-famous singer and actress, Rosemary Clooney, was born in Maysville, Kentucky. Clooney became a resident of Rhode Island later in her life and was a regular performer at local venues such as the Warwick Musical Theater. She also founded the Clooney Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts, which provides scholarships to students pursuing a career in the arts.

5. The United States Navy’s first torpedo boat, PT-1, was launched from the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company in Bristol, Rhode Island, on July 2, 1900. The boat was 54 feet long and had a speed of 23 knots, making it one of the fastest boats of its time. The PT boats played a significant role in naval warfare during World War II, famously used by John F. Kennedy to engage Japanese forces in the Pacific Theatre.