1. In 1850, under the terms of the Compromise of 1850, New Mexico became a territory of the United States.

2. In 1895, the famous artist Georgia O'Keeffe was born near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. She later moved to New Mexico and became famous for her paintings of the state's landscapes and culture.

3. In 1927, the town of Taos became the site of the first aviation beacon in the United States. The beacon was a bright light that helped pilots navigate at night and was an important milestone in the development of aviation safety.

4. In 1955, a world-record breaking nuclear test was conducted at the Nevada Test Site, just across the border from New Mexico. The test, nicknamed "Tumbler-Snapper," generated a yield of 30 kilotons and was the largest nuclear explosion ever conducted in the continental United States.

5. In 2016, the Roswell Daily Record newspaper celebrated the 69th anniversary of the famous "Roswell Incident." On July 8, 1947, a mysterious object crashed on a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico, and many people believe that it was a UFO. While the government claimed that it was a weather balloon, the incident continues to be the subject of much controversy and speculation.