1. In 1905, a group of investors founded the town of Las Vegas, Nevada. Originally intended as a stop on the railroad route from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City, Las Vegas would become a booming city of entertainment and gambling in the 20th century.

2. On February 23, 1942, the USS Nevada was hit by enemy fire during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Despite sustaining heavy damage, the ship managed to escape the harbor and was later repaired and returned to service in World War II.

3. In 1987, a Nevada brothel owner named Joe Conforte was indicted on federal tax evasion charges. Conforte fled to Brazil to avoid prosecution, but was eventually extradited back to the United States and sentenced to prison.

4. On February 23, 1996, Las Vegas police arrested rapper Tupac Shakur and charged him with assaulting a rival gang member. Shakur was later released on bail, but was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas just six months later.

5. Nevada is known as the "Silver State" due to its rich history of mining silver ore. One of the largest silver strikes in history occurred in Virginia City, Nevada in the mid-1800s, sparking a silver rush that helped to fuel the state's development.