1. On August 17, 1769, Dartmouth College was chartered. Named after William Legge, the 2nd Earl of Dartmouth, the private Ivy League college is located in Hanover, New Hampshire.

2. The Mount Washington Cog Railway opened on August 17, 1869. The railway, which is still in operation today, is the world's first mountain-climbing cog railway and takes passengers to the summit of Mount Washington.

3. On August 17, 1942, the Manchester Airport opened in New Hampshire. Now known as the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, it is the fourth largest airport in New England and serves over 1.7 million passengers a year.

4. The Laconia Motorcycle Week, one of the biggest motorcycle rallies in the country, traditionally takes place during the third week of June. However, it officially started on August 17, 1916, when a handful of motorcycle enthusiasts decided to gather in Laconia, New Hampshire.

5. On August 17, 1967, New Hampshire became the first state in the United States to abolish capital punishment since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. The law was later reenacted in 1974, but New Hampshire still does not have the death penalty.