1. In 1949, the first horse race was aired live on television from Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. The race was broadcast on NBC and was watched by millions of viewers.

2. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon during NASA's Apollo 11 mission. The satellite dish in Andover, New Jersey received the first images of the moon landing and broadcasted them to the world.

3. In 1976, a train derailment in Paulsboro, New Jersey released thousands of gallons of hazardous chemicals into the air and water. The incident led to the evacuation of the entire town and caused widespread environmental damage.

4. On this day in 1993, the New Jersey state legislature abolished the death penalty, becoming the first state in the US to do so through legislative action rather than a court ruling.

5. In 2009, the New Jersey State Senate passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, but it was later vetoed by Governor Chris Christie. It took until 2013 for same-sex marriage to be legalized in the state.