In 1889, after the Omnibus Bill divided the Dakota Territory, North Dakota and South Dakota were admitted as the 39th and 40th U.S. states, respectively.
In 1947, aircraft designer Howard Hughes piloted his “Spruce Goose,” the largest flying wooden plane ever built, on its maiden (and only) flight.
In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation making the third Monday of January a federal holid…