1. In 1904, the first automobile race in the state of Arizona was held at the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix. The race was won by a local mechanic named Louis Nikrent.

2. In 1952, the United States Air Force established Luke Air Force Base near Glendale, Arizona. The base is named after Arizona native and World War II flying ace Frank Luke Jr.

3. On September 2, 1963, Arizona State University welcomed its largest freshman class up to that point, with over 10,000 new students enrolled for the fall semester.

4. In 1995, the Arizona Diamondbacks were awarded a Major League Baseball franchise. The team began play in 1998 and won the National League championship in 2001.

5. September 2, 2019, marked the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Hoover Dam, which straddles the Arizona-Nevada border. The dam, which was completed in 1936, provides water and power to millions of people in the southwestern United States.