1. On August 23, 1778, a group of British soldiers landed in Newport, Rhode Island, beginning a two-year occupation of the city during the Revolutionary War. The British forces used Newport as a base to launch attacks on American forces in the region.

2. On August 23, 1909, the first auto race was held at the Narragansett Park racetrack in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The race, which featured mostly local drivers and cars, was won by George Robertson, who covered the one-mile track in just over 50 seconds.

3. On August 23, 1927, the Rhode Island Department of Health announced that a smallpox outbreak had occurred in the state, with several cases reported in the town of Coventry. Health officials quickly launched a vaccination campaign to contain the disease, which ultimately resulted in only a few deaths.

4. On August 23, 1968, the USS Newport News, a heavy cruiser launched in 1949 and named after the city of Newport News, Virginia, arrived in Narragansett Bay to serve as the flagship of the Atlantic Fleet. The ship served in the Vietnam War and was decommissioned in 1975.

5. On August 23, 2016, the Rhode Island Superior Court ordered that abortion restrictions imposed in the state in 2014 be lifted, citing a U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down similar restrictions in Texas. The ruling effectively made it easier for women to access abortion services in Rhode Island.