1. On June 8, 1864, the Battle of Arickaree took place in eastern Montana, between U.S. Army soldiers and a group of Cheyenne Dog Soldiers. The Army was led by Colonel John Chivington, who gained infamy for ordering the Sand Creek Massacre the following year. The Battle of Arickaree is considered a U.S. victory, but also revealed the brutality of the conflict between Native Americans and settlers.

2. June 8, 1917, marked the start of Montana's involvement in World War I, as 10,000 National Guard troops were mobilized for federal service. Montana had already sent troops to fight in the Spanish-American War and the Philippines, but the scale of the Great War required a larger commitment. Many Montanans served heroically and were decorated for their bravery, but the war also brought tragedy and hardship to the state.

3. On June 8, 1954, the first flight of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress took place in Seattle, Washington. This iconic aircraft played a significant role in the Cold War, and a number of B-52s were based at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana during the 1960s and 1970s. The B-52 was also used in the Vietnam War and more recent conflicts, and remains in service today.

4. The Glacier Park Lodge, one of Montana's most iconic hotels, opened on June 8, 1913. Located near the entrance to Glacier National Park, the lodge was designed to showcase the rustic beauty of the region, with a massive lobby featuring tree trunks as pillars and local wildlife as decorative motifs. The Glacier Park Lodge remains a popular destination for visitors to the park, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

5. On June 8, 1979, a coal train derailed near the town of Silvertip, Montana, resulting in the spill of approximately 30,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the Clark Fork River. The spill happened just downstream from the confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers, an area made famous by Norman Maclean's book A River Runs Through It. The spill caused extensive damage to fish and wildlife habitat, and raised awareness about the need for better environmental protections for Montana's rivers and streams.