1. On July 3, 1863, during the Civil War, a group of about 450 men from Minnesota fought in the Battle of Gettysburg. Known as the "Minnesota Brigade," they suffered heavy losses but played a key role in helping to repel Confederate forces from Cemetery Ridge.

2. In 1900, the Great Northern Depot (now known as Union Depot) opened in downtown St. Paul. The massive, Beaux-Arts-style train station served as a hub for rail travel in Minnesota for many years and remains a historic landmark to this day.

3. On July 3, 1971, the iconic music festival known as the "Ozark Music Festival" opened in Sedalia, Missouri, about 450 miles south of the Minnesota border. Many people from Minnesota and other northern states made the trip to attend the three-day event, which attracted more than 350,000 people and featured performances by dozens of popular bands and musicians.

4. In 1983, the Minnesota Twins played their first game in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, a domed stadium in Minneapolis. The Twins won their first game there, beating the Seattle Mariners 5-2, and would go on to play at the Metrodome until 2009.

5. On July 3, 2007, the Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed during rush hour, killing 13 people and injuring more than 140 others. The tragedy sparked a nationwide discussion about the state of America's aging infrastructure and led to significant changes in the way bridges are inspected and maintained.