1. In 1636, the founder of Rhode Island, Roger Williams, was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony and settled on land he purchased from the Narragansett Indians, creating Providence.

2. In 1676, during King Philip's War, the English colonists under Governor Josiah Winslow defeated the Wampanoag and Narragansett forces in the Great Swamp Fight, nearly ending the conflict in southern New England.

3. In 1790, the U.S. Census reported Rhode Island's population as 68,825, making it the smallest state in terms of population at the time.

4. In 1933, the Rhode Island State House, the state's capitol building, was completed after 15 years of construction.

5. In 1975, the Providence Bruins minor league hockey team played their first game at the Providence Civic Center, which later became the Dunkin' Donuts Center. The Bruins have won 13 division championships and two Calder Cup championships.