1. On October 28, 1862, Confederate forces under General Henry H. Sibley won a skirmish near Santa Fe, giving them control of the area for a short time. The Battle of Peralta was part of Sibley's attempt to conquer the Southwest and gain access to the gold and silver mines of California.

2. October 28, 1886 saw the official opening of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Originally established as a land-grant college to serve the needs of the Territory of New Mexico, UNM has since grown into a major research institution with over 25,000 students.

3. On October 28, 1929, the stock market crash that led to the Great Depression began in earnest. New Mexico, like the rest of the country, was heavily impacted by the economic downturn, with high unemployment and widespread poverty lasting well into the 1930s.

4. The first atomic bomb was detonated in the predawn hours of July 16, 1945, but it was on October 28 of that year that the bomb's creator, J. Robert Oppenheimer, officially handed control of the project over to the military. The atomic bomb and subsequent nuclear testing had a major impact on New Mexico, particularly on the indigenous communities living near the test sites.

5. October 28, 1986 saw the dedication of the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque. The center was created to celebrate the history and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans, and includes a museum, research facilities, a theater, and other cultural resources.