1. On April 25, 1865, the Civil War officially ended in Mississippi with the surrender of Confederate General Richard Taylor to Union General Edward Canby. This marked the end of the bloody conflict that had ravaged the state and the country for over four years.

2. In 1894, on April 25, the Mississippi House of Representatives passed a controversial law that prohibited interracial marriage. This law, commonly known as the "Anti-Miscegenation Law," remained in place until the landmark Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia in 1967.

3. On April 25, 1926, the Tornado Outbreak of 1926 occurred in the state, causing widespread damage and killing at least 22 people. The tornado outbreak remains one of the deadliest in Mississippi's history.

4. On April 25, 1933, blues legend B.B. King was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi. King went on to become one of the most influential and celebrated musicians of the 20th century, known for hits like "The Thrill Is Gone" and "Everyday I Have the Blues."

5. On April 25, 1976, Governor Cliff Finch officially declared the state of Mississippi a bicentennial state in honor of the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The celebration included events and activities throughout the state, culminating in a fireworks display in Jackson on July 4, 1976.