1. On May 16, 1777, the state of Delaware adopted its first state constitution. Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States Constitution, on December 7, 1787.

2. In 1831, the first issue of the Delaware Gazette was published in Wilmington, Delaware. The paper is still published today as the News Journal, serving as the largest daily newspaper in the state.

3. On May 16, 1863, a Union Army regiment from Delaware, called the 1st Delaware Volunteer Infantry, fought in the Battle of Champion Hill in Mississippi during the Civil War. The regiment played a crucial role in the Union victory, which led to the Siege of Vicksburg.

4. The first American flag to fly over Japanese soil was raised by Delaware native Lieutenant Commander William J. Lawrence on May 16, 1945, during the Allied occupation of Japan after World War II. The flag was flown over the city of Yokosuka.

5. In 1988, astronaut David C. Hilmers, a native of Wilmington, Delaware, participated in the Space Shuttle Discovery mission STS-26. The mission was the first successful flight of the Space Shuttle after the Challenger disaster in 1986. Hilmers logged over 493 hours in space during his NASA career.