New Mexico's first 100 years: Lots of history ... and more to come

Turning 100 years old guarantees that one has endured bumps, bruises, bad times. In New Mexico's case, reaching its first century also meant it had a vital part in America's triumphs and advances. Indeed, the state played a key role in saving the planet from dictators. New Mexico became the 47th state on Jan. 6, 1912. It had been a U.S. territory for more than 60 years before that. Statehood was achieved as the Mexican Revolution raged to the south. William Howard Taft was America's president, fighting for another term in a three-way campaign. He would lose. Jim Thorpe was training for the upcoming Olympic Games in Stockholm, but not many people had time to focus on such diversions. Most Americans lived in rural areas 100 years ago. There was no minimum wage. Many workers were on the job 12 hours a day, six days a week. In that time, the American West was growing to its limits. New Mexico received statehood eight days before Arizona did. They were the last of the lower 48 states to be admitted to the union. Alaska and Hawaii would become states in 1959. Four years after statehood, New Mexico became familiar to the rest of America. It happened when a Mexican revolutionary's army attacked a small New Mexico border town...What is clear is that New Mexico is full of good stories from its first century. Here are 100 of them - one for every year since statehood...more