1. Vermont became the 14th state to legalize same-sex marriage on June 8, 2009, after the Vermont Legislature overrode Governor Jim Douglas’ veto of a bill. This made Vermont the first state in the United States to legalize same-sex marriage through legislation.

2. On June 8, 1775, General Richard Montgomery arrived at Crown Point, New York, while trying to reach Montreal to capture British-held Canada. Montgomery, alongside Benedict Arnold, is best known for leading the attack on Quebec City during the American Revolutionary War.

3. In 1909, Vermont passed a law establishing a minimum wage, becoming the first state in the US to do so. The wage was set to 25 cents per hour, with a maximum of 58 hours of work per week, included 10 hours of work on Sunday.

4. The Essex Junction Fair, held in Essex Junction, Vermont, first began on June 8, 1922, and became a popular annual event that brought in crowds from all over the state. The fair included carnival rides, live music, agricultural shows, and horse racing.

5. On June 8, 1943, construction began on the world’s first nuclear reactor, known as the Chicago Pile-1, at the University of Chicago. Two scientists, Enrico Fermi and Leo Szilard, discovered nuclear chain reactions, which led to the development of nuclear weapons, including the atomic bomb dropped on Japan in 1945.