1. On January 22, 1953, the first successful open-heart surgery was performed by Dr. Arthur Guyton and Dr. John Kirklin at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi.

2. In 1900, the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Levee broke on January 22, causing devastating floods that covered much of the delta region. Over 200,000 people were impacted and countless farms and homes were destroyed.

3. On January 22, 1965, civil rights activist Vernon Dahmer Sr. was tragically killed when his home was firebombed by the Ku Klux Klan members in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Dahmer had been actively working to register African American voters and was adamant about fighting for equal rights.

4. In 1861, the state of Mississippi seceded from the Union on January 22, becoming the second state to do so after South Carolina. The state would go on to be a pivotal player in the Civil War.

5. On January 22, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which struck down racial segregation in public schools. This decision would have a major impact on Mississippi and the rest of the country in regards to desegregation efforts.