1. In 1878, the Providence Grays baseball team was founded in Rhode Island. The team went on to win the National League championship in 1884 and 1891.

2. Rhode Island officially adopted the state motto "Hope" on March 1, 1875. The motto was chosen to signify the optimism and determination of the state's founders.

3. In 1956, a major blizzard struck Rhode Island, dumping over two feet of snow and causing widespread damage and power outages. The storm was one of the worst in the state's history, and led to a significant increase in winter weather preparedness measures.

4. On March 1, 1963, Rhode Island became the seventh state to approve the Equal Pay Act, which prohibited gender-based wage discrimination in the workplace. The law was one of the first of its kind in the United States.

5. In 2004, the Rhode Island Supreme Court upheld a ruling that allowed same-sex couples to marry. The ruling was a landmark moment in the fight for marriage equality, and paved the way for other states to follow suit.