1. In 1863, the first annual meeting of the Dakota Agricultural Society was held in Sioux Falls. This organization played a key role in promoting agricultural development and education throughout the Dakota Territory and later the state of South Dakota.

2. On February 28, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison signed the Enabling Act, which authorized the people of the Dakota Territory to draft a constitution and apply for statehood. This eventually led to the creation of the state of North Dakota and South Dakota on November 2, 1889.

3. In 1944, a plane crash occurred in the Black Hills near Custer, killing all 11 crew members. The wreckage was not discovered until the next day, and the cause of the accident remains a mystery.

4. On February 28, 1973, the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam. This event marked the end of a controversial and divisive war that had a profound impact on American society and foreign policy.

5. In 2017, South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard signed a bill into law that repealed the state's unique "no-mainstreaming" provision for persons with disabilities. This provision had allowed schools to exclude students with disabilities from mainstream classrooms if they were deemed too disruptive or too difficult to teach. The repeal of this provision was seen as a significant step forward in promoting inclusion and equal educational opportunities for all students in South Dakota.