1. In 1864, the Battle of Poison Spring occurred in Ouachita County during the Civil War. It was a Union defeat, and many African American soldiers were killed or captured.

2. On February 9, 1882, Arkansas became the first state in the nation to pass a law requiring separate schools for white and black students. This law was later struck down by the Supreme Court in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case.

3. The University of Arkansas at Little Rock officially opened on February 9, 1927, with just a few hundred students. Today, it has an enrollment of over 11,000 and is one of the state's largest universities.

4. In 1959, the first integrated school in Little Rock, the previously all-white Central High School, was bombed. No one was injured, but it was a clear reminder of the ongoing racial tensions in the city.

5. On February 9, 2020, tornadoes swept through central Arkansas, causing significant damage and several fatalities. The storm was part of a larger system that impacted several states in the Southeast.