1. On February 8, 1861, Mississippi became the second state to secede from the Union, joining other Southern states in forming the Confederate States of America.

2. On February 8, 1904, Mississippi native and civil rights activist Medgar Evers was born in Decatur. Evers played a key role in desegregating public facilities in Mississippi and was assassinated in 1963.

3. On February 8, 1926, author Virginia Hamilton was born in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Hamilton spent much of her childhood in Mississippi and drew inspiration from her experiences there for her novels, including "M.C. Higgins, the Great" and "The House of Dies Drear."

4. On February 8, 1968, the Orangeburg massacre occurred in South Carolina, but it had connections to Mississippi. Three young black men were killed and 28 others injured when police opened fire on a group of protesters at South Carolina State University. Two of the victims were from Mississippi.

5. On February 8, 2013, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed into law the "Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act," which was criticized by many as discriminatory against the LGBTQ+ community. The law allowed businesses to refuse service to customers based on religious objections.