1. On February 23, 1782, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed a law prohibiting the importation of enslaved people into the state. This made Rhode Island the first colony in America to officially outlaw the practice of importing slaves.

2. In 1828, the first public high school in Rhode Island, the Classical High School, was established in Providence on February 23. The school was designed to provide a free education to students of all classes, and has since become one of the top-performing high schools in the state.

3. On February 23, 1839, the Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled in a landmark case that the state's black residents had the right to vote. This decision helped to pave the way for broader suffrage rights in the state.

4. In 1905, the Providence Public Library became the first library in the country to offer free access to its collection of books and materials. This was a significant development in the history of public libraries, and helped to democratize access to knowledge and learning.

5. On February 23, 1981, Rhode Island Governor J. Joseph Garrahy signed into law the state's bottle deposit law, requiring a nickel deposit on certain beverage containers. This law helped to reduce litter and promote recycling in the state, and has since been adopted by many other states across the country.