1. On December 3, 1817, Mississippi was officially admitted as the 20th state in the United States. Its entry into the Union came after more than a year of debate and negotiations over issues such as statehood boundaries and the regulation of slavery.

2. In 1864, during the Civil War, Union General William T. Sherman launched his infamous March to the Sea campaign through Georgia and into the Carolinas. On December 3 of that year, his army departed from Atlanta and began their destructive march towards the coast, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.

3. December 3, 1891 saw the birth of blues guitarist and singer Memphis Minnie in Algiers, Louisiana. She eventually made her way to Memphis, Tennessee and became a pioneering figure in the early days of the blues scene. She recorded hundreds of songs over her career, including hits like "Bumble Bee" and "Me and My Chauffeur Blues."

4. Mississippi State University made history on December 3, 1940 when it defeated Georgetown College 14-7 in the Orange Bowl. It was the first bowl game victory for any school in the state and helped put Mississippi football on the map.

5. On December 3, 1959, a plane carrying three rock and roll musicians crashed near Clear Lake, Iowa. The crash, which took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, became known as "The Day the Music Died" and had a lasting impact on the rock and roll genre. Holly had performed in Mississippi just a few weeks before the crash.