1. On October 18, 1867, the town of Las Vegas, New Mexico was officially founded by a group of settlers. The town was named after the Spanish term for "the meadows", as it was located in a valley with abundant grassland.

2. In 1954, the University of New Mexico's football team played their first game at newly-built University Stadium on October 18. The stadium, which had a seating capacity of 30,000, was considered a state-of-the-art facility at the time.

3. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which is the largest hot air balloon festival in the world, began on October 18, 1972. The festival draws in thousands of visitors from all over the world to see the colorful balloons fill the sky above New Mexico.

4. In 1986, NASA astronaut Harrison Schmitt, a native of Albuquerque, became the first scientist to walk on the moon. Schmitt was a geologist and was able to collect valuable samples of lunar rock during his mission.

5. On October 18, 2007, the New Mexico Spaceport Authority was founded. The authority was established to develop a commercial spaceport in New Mexico, which is now known as the Spaceport America. The facility has been used by both private companies and government agencies for launching space vehicles and conducting research in space exploration.