1. Mississippi officially became a state on February 29, 1817. Although February 29 only occurs once every four years, it is a significant date in Mississippi's history as it marks the state's entry into the Union.

2. On February 29, 1904, Hiram Revels, a Mississippi senator and the first African American to serve in the United States Congress, passed away. Revels was appointed to the senate in 1870, but his term was short-lived as he finished the term of a senator who resigned and lost his re-election bid.

3. In 1964, civil rights activists staged a sit-in at the Jackson, Mississippi Woolworth's store on February 29. The protest was part of a larger effort to end segregation in public accommodations and was met with resistance by local authorities.

4. On February 29, 2004, the Gulf of Mexico College All-Stars defeated the Cincinnati Reds in a spring training game. The game marked the first time that a college team had defeated a Major League Baseball team in a spring training game since 1963.

5. On February 29, 2012, after 20 years in prison and six overturned convictions, Levon Brooks was exonerated for a murder he did not commit. DNA evidence had linked another man to the crime, and Brooks was released from prison as a free man.