1. In 1861, Alabama became the fourth state to secede from the Union, ultimately leading to the start of the American Civil War.

2. On January 13, 1920, Alabama became the second state to ratify the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.

3. In 1946, the University of Alabama's football team, the Crimson Tide, won their first-ever national championship, defeating the University of Southern California in the Rose Bowl.

4. On January 13, 1957, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech at the Holt Street Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, calling for desegregation and equal rights for African Americans.

5. In 1999, Alabama native and basketball player Charles Barkley was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame for his standout career, which included stints with the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, and Houston Rockets.