1. In 1820, the first horse race was held in Knoxville, Tennessee. The race was organized by a group of local horse enthusiasts and featured several thoroughbred horses from the surrounding area.

2. On April 8, 1864, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest led a successful raid on Union forces in Paducah, Kentucky. The raid resulted in the capture of several Union soldiers and the destruction of a Union gunboat.

3. In 1911, the Tennessee General Assembly voted to establish the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis. The college would later become known as the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

4. On April 8, 1939, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) officially began operations. The TVA was created as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal program and was tasked with providing electric power and promoting economic development in the Tennessee Valley region.

5. In 1996, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened its new facility in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The museum features exhibits on the history of country music and the lives and careers of country music legends.