1. On October 2, 1902, the Oklahoma Territory officially became the state of Oklahoma, making it the 46th state to join the United States. The historic event took place in Guthrie, Oklahoma, which served as the state's capital until 1910.

2. In 1935, construction began on the Will Rogers Memorial in Claremore, Oklahoma, in honor of the beloved actor, comedian, and cowboy. The memorial includes a museum, a 38-foot-tall statue of Rogers on horseback, and his tomb.

3. On October 2, 1952, Oklahoma native Garth Brooks was born in Tulsa. Brooks went on to become one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 170 million records sold worldwide. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012.

4. The Oklahoma City Thunder, the state's professional basketball team, played their first preseason game on October 2, 2008. The team had just moved from Seattle and has since become a beloved institution in Oklahoma, with a dedicated fan base.

5. In 2015, the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum unveiled a new outdoor exhibit called "The Field of Empty Chairs." The exhibit features 168 chairs, each representing a victim of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, arranged in nine rows to reflect the nine floors of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building that was destroyed in the attack. The exhibit serves as a powerful reminder of the tragic event that shook the state and the nation.