1. On August 12, 1949, the first atomic bomb test was conducted at the Nevada Test Site, located about 120 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Known as the "Able" test, it was the first of many nuclear tests conducted in Nevada between 1951 and 1992.

2. On August 12, 1908, the famous cowboy and rodeo star Will James was born in Montana. James later moved to Nevada and became a well-known writer and illustrator of Western novels, including "Smokey the Cowhorse" and "The Lone Cowboy."

3. August 12, 1960 marked the day that the Hoover Dam, located on the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona, began generating electricity. The dam, which was completed in 1935, provides power to millions of people in the western United States.

4. In 1877, on August 12th, the "Greatest Train Robbery in the West" occurred near Verdi, Nevada. Armed bandits stopped the eastbound Pacific Express train and made off with over $40,000 in cash and bonds. The robbers were eventually caught and sentenced to long prison terms.

5. On August 12, 2014, the city of Reno, Nevada broke the Guinness World Record for the largest number of people playing musical chairs. Over 7,000 people gathered at the Reno Aces baseball stadium to participate in the event, which was part of the city's Artown festival.