1. On June 16, 1775, Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British during the American Revolution. This victory gave the Continental Army much-needed artillery to use against the British.

2. In 1857, Vermont became the first state to abolish slavery in its constitution. This landmark decision served as a major step towards the abolition of slavery throughout the country.

3. On June 16, 1903, the Vermont state legislature voted to ratify the 17th Amendment to the US Constitution, which called for the direct election of senators by the people rather than by state legislatures.

4. In 1923, the Vermont Marble Company donated a block of marble from their quarry in Proctor, VT for use in the construction of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.

5. On June 16, 1986, Bernie Sanders, then the mayor of Burlington, VT, spoke at a concert in East Montpelier, VT to raise money for Nicaraguan refugees. This was Sanders' first political speech outside of Burlington and helped to launch his political career.