1. On February 4, 1861, the Mississippi state legislature voted to secede from the United States, joining several other southern states in what would become the Confederacy. This decision helped precipitate the American Civil War, which would have a profound impact on the state and its people.

2. February 4, 1913, saw the birth of Rosa Parks in Tuskegee, Alabama, just across the state line from Mississippi. Parks' defiance of segregation laws in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955 helped ignite a national civil rights movement that would lead to significant changes in Mississippi and elsewhere in the United States.

3. In 1964, the Beatles played at the City Auditorium in Meridian, Mississippi, marking the first and only time they would perform in the state. Despite the venue's segregationist policies, the band refused to play to a segregated audience and threatened to cancel the show unless it was integrated.

4. On February 4, 1981, Governor William Winter signed a historic education reform bill into law that aimed to improve the quality of education in Mississippi. The law established higher standards for teacher qualifications and student achievement, among many other changes.

5. In 2008, Mississippi native Elvis Presley was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring his considerable contributions to the music industry. Presley's unique blend of rock, blues, country, and gospel music continues to influence musicians across a range of genres.