1. In 1822, the first American trade caravan led by Missouri trader William Becknell entered Santa Fe, marking the beginning of the Santa Fe Trail. This trade route would be used for over fifty years to transport goods and supplies between Missouri and Santa Fe, ultimately playing a key role in the expansion of the American West.

2. On March 9, 1919, the New Mexico State Legislature ratified the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which granted women the right to vote. New Mexico became the 32nd state to ratify the amendment, helping to secure its passage nationwide later that year.

3. In 1945, the Atomic Age began in earnest when Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico successfully conducted the world's first nuclear weapons test, code-named Trinity. The test took place on March 9, and would be followed by the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki less than a year later.

4. On March 9, 1999, New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson signed a bill to abolish the state's death penalty. New Mexico became the second state in the nation to do so through legislation (after Minnesota), and was followed by several other states in subsequent years.

5. In 2003, the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History opened in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The museum explores the history of nuclear science and technology, with a particular focus on the role of nuclear weapons and their impact on the world. March 9 was chosen as the museum's opening day in honor of the Trinity test, which took place just a few miles away.