1. In 1703, the first recorded land grant was made in Delaware. William Rodney received 600 acres of land in Kent County on October 23rd of that year, marking the beginning of land ownership and development in the state.

2. On October 23, 1802, the Delaware Gazette and State Journal was first published in Wilmington. It became the state's first daily newspaper in 1876 and was renamed the Wilmington Morning News. It continued publishing until 2018.

3. The first steam-powered locomotive in Delaware arrived in Wilmington on October 23, 1832. The locomotive, named "Hibernia," was used to transport goods and passengers on the Delaware Railroad.

4. On October 23, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation declaring that the state of Delaware was exempt from his Emancipation Proclamation. This was due to the fact that Delaware did not secede from the Union during the Civil War and slavery was already abolished in the state.

5. The University of Delaware was founded on October 23, 1833, as Newark College. It was renamed Delaware College in 1843 and became the University of Delaware in 1921. Today, the university is the largest in the state and ranks among the top 100 public universities in the United States.