1. In 1793, the first United States patent was issued to inventor Samuel Hopkins of Pittsford, NJ for a method of making potash, a key ingredient in soap and fertilizer.

2. On March 9, 1847, the New Jersey state legislature passed an act that established the Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company in New York City. The company would go on to become one of the largest marine insurers in the world.

3. In 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco was opened to pedestrian traffic for the first time. The steel cables used to suspend the bridge were made by the John A. Roebling's Sons Company, a Trenton-based firm that also supplied cables for the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge, and the George Washington Bridge.

4. On March 9, 1959, the Liberty Bell made a stop in Trenton as part of its tour of 49 states. The famous bell had not left Philadelphia in over a century and drew large crowds as it made its way across the country.

5. In 1964, the newly-formed New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority acquired a 785-acre tract of land in East Rutherford to build the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The complex would go on to host Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014 and is home to the NFL's New York Giants and New York Jets.