1. On June 15, 1648, a group of settlers purchased Aquidneck Island from the Narragansett Indians, which would later become the town of Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

2. On June 15, 1775, Rhode Island declared independence from Great Britain, becoming the first of the 13 colonies to do so.

3. On June 15, 1858, Rhode Island’s first streetcar went into operation in Providence, providing transportation for residents and visitors alike.

4. On June 15, 1927, the famous American aviator Charles Lindbergh visited Providence on his tour of the United States following his transatlantic flight from New York to Paris.

5. On June 15, 1954, the USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, was launched at the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut, a short distance from the Rhode Island border.