1. Louisiana was officially admitted as a state to the United States on January 20, 1812. The state had previously been under the control of Spain and then France before being sold to the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

2. On January 20, 1861, Louisiana seceded from the United States as part of the Confederacy during the Civil War. This decision would have a lasting impact on the state, leading to years of conflict and division.

3. Notable Louisiana politician and civil rights advocate P.B.S. Pinchback was born on January 20, 1837. Pinchback was the first African American to serve as a state governor, temporarily taking over as governor of Louisiana in 1872 after the impeachment of Governor Henry Clay Warmoth.

4. On January 20, 1937, the Huey P. Long Bridge over the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge officially opened to traffic. The bridge was named after the former Louisiana governor and U.S. Senator Huey P. Long and remains a major landmark in the state.

5. The New Orleans Saints football team won their first and only Super Bowl on January 20, 2010. The team, led by quarterback Drew Brees, defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV. The victory was a major moment for the city of New Orleans, which had been devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.