1. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy visited South Dakota to dedicate the Oahe Dam. The dam, located on the Missouri River, was built to provide flood control, hydroelectric power, and irrigation.

2. On October 20, 1887, the first trainload of cattle arrived in Rapid City, South Dakota. The arrival of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad marked the beginning of a new era for the state's cattle industry.

3. In 1973, the Wounded Knee incident began on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The protest, which lasted for 71 days, was a stand-off between members of the American Indian Movement and federal law enforcement agencies.

4. On October 20, 1890, the last major battle of the Indian Wars took place at Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota. The conflict, known as the Wounded Knee Massacre, resulted in the deaths of over 150 Lakota Sioux men, women, and children.

5. In 1978, the iconic Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The monument, which features the faces of four U.S. Presidents carved into the granite mountain, attracts over 2 million visitors each year.