1. The first permanent European settlement in New Hampshire was established on May 21, 1623, when English fisherman built a fishing stage and a few small houses along the Piscataqua River in what is now Portsmouth.

2. On May 21, 1818, Dartmouth College awarded its first medical degree to Dr. Nathan Smith. Smith went on to become a prominent figure in the field of surgery and was one of the founders of the first medical school in the United States.

3. The New Hampshire State House, the nation's oldest state capitol building in continuous legislative use, was dedicated on May 21, 1819. The granite building located in Concord has been home to the New Hampshire General Court since its opening.

4. On May 21, 1932, the aircraft carrier USS Ranger was commissioned at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The ship served in both World War II and the Korean War before being decommissioned in 1957.

5. The town of Dunbarton, New Hampshire was incorporated on May 21, 1765. The town was named after Dumbarton, Scotland, the hometown of one of the town's earliest settlers, Archibald Stark, father of Revolutionary War hero General John Stark.