1. Nebraska was admitted as the 37th state in the United States on February 12, 1867. The state was originally part of the Louisiana Purchase and became a territory in 1854 before achieving statehood.

2. On February 12, 1923, Walt Disney created his first animated film, “Alice’s Wonderland,” which featured a live-action girl named Alice who entered a cartoon world. The short film was produced in Kansas City, Missouri, but Disney later opened his first animation studio in Nebraska and named it Laugh-O-Gram Studio.

3. Omaha native Warren Buffett, one of the world’s wealthiest men and the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, was born on February 12, 1930. Buffett is known for his investment strategies and philanthropy, and has been a resident of Omaha for his entire life.

4. On February 12, 1962, President John F. Kennedy visited Omaha as part of a five-state tour to promote the Strategic Air Command and the United States’ nuclear capabilities during the Cold War. Kennedy gave a speech at the Offutt Air Force Base before continuing on his tour.

5. In 1993, the Nebraska Legislature passed a resolution designating the Platte River as the “Avenue of the Sandhill Cranes.” Every year, hundreds of thousands of sandhill cranes migrate to the Platte River in Nebraska to rest and feed before continuing their journey north to breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska. Their migration typically begins in late February or early March.