1. In 1859, Oregon became the 33rd state in the United States. May 25 is recognized as "Statehood Day" in Oregon, commemorating the day that Oregon officially joined the Union.

2. In 1970, the Mount St. Helens volcano in southwestern Washington experienced a 4.5 magnitude earthquake, marking the first known activity at the volcano in more than a century. This event preceded the catastrophic eruption in 1980 that caused widespread devastation in the surrounding area.

3. The famous Tillamook Burn, a series of devastating forest fires that occurred in the Coast Range of Oregon between the 1930s and 1950s, had its origins in a small fire that began on May 25, 1933.

4. In 1955, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival was founded in the southern Oregon town of Ashland. Today, the festival is one of the largest and most respected regional theaters in the country, drawing tens of thousands of visitors to Ashland each year.

5. On May 25, 2008, Sam Adams was elected as the mayor of Portland, becoming the first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city. Adams served as Portland's mayor for four years, during which time he worked to promote sustainability and social justice issues in the city.