1. In 1819, Alabama became the 22nd state to join the United States of America. The state was originally named "Alabama Territory" and was a part of Mississippi Territory until it became its own state.

2. December 3, 1955, marks the day that Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus. Her act of civil disobedience sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped lead to the civil rights movement.

3. On December 3, 1967, the first heart transplant in the state of Alabama was performed at the University of Alabama Hospital. The surgery was successful and the patient lived for several years after the transplant.

4. In 1983, the Alabama Crimson Tide won their first SEC Football Championship under head coach Ray Perkins. The team went on to win the Sun Bowl that year, finishing the season with a 9-3 record.

5. December 3, 1993, saw the opening of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The museum tells the story of the civil rights movement in Birmingham and houses exhibits on topics such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Freedom Rides, and the Birmingham campaign.