1. Penn State University was founded on January 24, 1855. The university was originally called the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania and was established as a land-grant institution.

2. On January 24, 1908, the first Boy Scout troop in the United States was organized in Pennsylvania. The troop was founded by William D. Boyce in the city of Philadelphia.

3. The Pennsylvania Turnpike, the first long-distance limited-access highway in the United States, first opened on January 24, 1940. The toll road stretches over 360 miles from Lawrence County to Bucks County in Pennsylvania.

4. Pennsylvania native Benjamin Franklin was born on January 24, 1706. Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and played a key role in drafting the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

5. On January 24, 1972, the Robinson Township mine explosion occurred in Pennsylvania, killing 15 miners. The tragedy prompted Congress to pass the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, which aimed to improve safety in the nation's mines.