1. The deadliest train disaster in North Dakota occurred on May 3, 1945, when a train carrying military personnel crashed near Moorhead, killing at least 30 people and injuring dozens more.

2. May 3, 1886, is considered the birthdate of North Dakota State University, when the state legislature passed the Morrill Act, establishing a land-grant university in the state.

3. On May 3, 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill authorizing the construction of the Garrison Dam on the Missouri River in North Dakota. The dam created Lake Sakakawea, one of the largest man-made lakes in the country.

4. The first-ever film to be shot in North Dakota, "The Blue Bird," premiered on May 3, 1918, in Fargo. The film was directed by Maurice Tourneur and starred Lucille Young and Tula Belle.

5. May 3, 2008, was the date of the historic Fargo Flood, in which the Red River of the North crested at a record-breaking 40.84 feet. The flood caused widespread damage and forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes.