1. On April 26, 1865, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered his army to Union General William T. Sherman at Bennett Place in Durham, North Carolina, effectively ending the American Civil War in the eastern United States.

2. On April 26, 1898, the Spanish-American War began as President William McKinley signed a declaration of war against Spain. Many Mississippians volunteered to fight in the war, including Theodore Roosevelt's famous Rough Riders, which included several Mississippians.

3. On April 26, 1950, the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission was established by the state legislature. The commission was formed to resist the integration of Mississippi's schools and to investigate and disrupt civil rights organizations and individuals.

4. On April 26, 2002, the unveiling ceremony of the Mississippi Blues Trail markers was held in Jackson, Mississippi. The trail marks significant locations and artists in the history of Mississippi blues music.

5. On April 26, 2011, deadly tornadoes ripped through Mississippi, causing widespread destruction and claiming dozens of lives. The towns of Smithville and Philadelphia were among the hardest hit, with entire neighborhoods destroyed by the tornadoes.