1. In 1856, a group of approximately 700 Eastern European immigrants settled in present-day Omaha. They founded a town called "Bellevue," now considered the oldest permanent settlement in Nebraska.
2. In 1887, Cyrus K. Holliday, a key figure in the development of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway, died in Topeka, Kansas. Holliday had originally planned for the railway to run through Lincoln, Nebraska, but was persuaded to change the route to follow the Platte River instead.
3. In 1904, the first concrete bridge in Nebraska opened to traffic in Valentine. The 125-foot-long structure replaced a wooden bridge that had formerly spanned the Niobrara River.
4. In 1928, the first commercial airfield in Nebraska was established in Lincoln. The "Lincoln Municipal Flying Field" was located near the present-day Lincoln Airport, and was primarily used for mail delivery and crop dusting.
5. In 1977, the first statewide recycling program in Nebraska was instituted. The program, coordinated by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, encouraged citizens to recycle paper, glass, and metal in an effort to reduce waste and protect the environment.