1. In 1966, the iconic Delta Queen steamboat made its first voyage down the Mississippi River, stopping in several Mississippi cities along the way.

2. On August 16, 1927, a devastating flood began in the Mississippi Delta that inundated the region and led to the displacement of thousands of residents. The flood was caused by heavy rainfall and levee failures along the Mississippi River.

3. Civil Rights activist Medgar Evers was assassinated on August 16, 1963, in front of his Jackson, Mississippi home. Evers was instrumental in fighting for the desegregation of schools and worked to register black voters.

4. On August 16, 1861, Confederate soldiers led by General Gideon Pillow attacked Union soldiers at the Battle of Belmont in Mississippi. While the battle was a Confederate victory, it was a relatively minor engagement early in the Civil War.

5. Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, a Mississippi native, was born on August 16, 1911. Jackson is considered one of the most influential gospel singers of all time and was a close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.