1. On June 28, 1776, the Massachusetts State Constitution was adopted. It became the oldest functioning written constitution in the world.

2. On June 28, 1831, Ellen Howard became the first woman to be granted a US patent. She received a patent for her invention of a weaving machine.

3. On June 28, 1865, the United States Circuit Court in Boston ruled that the government could not seize Confederate ships that had been sold to neutral parties in Great Britain during the Civil War.

4. On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed, formally ending World War I. Massachusetts played a significant role in the war effort, sending over 150,000 men to fight in Europe.

5. On June 28, 1996, a devastating tornado struck Western Massachusetts, killing three people and causing millions of dollars in damage. The tornado was one of the deadliest and most destructive in the state's history.