1. In 1949, the Burlington Free Press reported that the largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 365 pounds and had been grown by Hill Crofton of Burlington, Vermont. This record-breaking pumpkin was displayed at the Vermont State Fair that year.

2. On October 21, 1776, a group of American Revolutionary soldiers successfully defended Fort Ticonderoga in New York from a British attack. Many of these soldiers were from Vermont, which was not yet an independent state at the time.

3. In 1969, the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant began operation in Vernon, Vermont. The plant was controversial from the beginning due to concerns about the safety of nuclear power, and it was eventually shut down in 2014.

4. On October 21, 1852, the Vermont Historical Society was founded in Montpelier, Vermont. The society's mission is to collect, preserve, and share Vermont's rich history and heritage.

5. In 1946, the Vermont State Hospital in Waterbury, Vermont was destroyed by a massive fire. The hospital had been in operation for over 100 years and housed hundreds of mentally ill patients. The fire was a major tragedy for the state, and it is still remembered and commemorated today.