January 6, 1912: New Mexico Is Admitted As the 47th State

January 6, 1912: New Mexico is admitted to the Union as the 47th State.

New Mexico was in the Southwest. It had been acquired as part of the Mexican Cessation of 1848, after the Mexican-American War. It has become known for its Native American and Wild West heritages, and its distinctive State Flag, a depiction of the Sun by the Zia tribe.

New Mexico's politics tend to be split down the middle, with equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans. Its highest-ranking politician has been Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior under President Joe Biden, and a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The State Capitol is Santa Fe, and the largest city is Albuquerque. It's large enough to be the seat of the University of New Mexico, which hosted the 1979 NCAA Tournament Final Four. But it's not large enough to host a major league team, although the Class AAA Pacific Coast League has had a team in the city for many years. New Mexico State University is in Las Cruces.

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January 6, 1912 was a Tuesday. Comic actor Danny Thomas was born.

The only professional sports league in operation at the time was Canada's National Hockey Association. It had 2 games scheduled that night. The Montreal Canadiens beat the Quebec Bulldogs, 5-4 at the Quebec Skating Rink. And the Montreal Wanderers beat the Ottawa Silver Seven, forerunners of the original Ottawa Senators, 9-5 at the Montreal Arena.