1. Alabama officially became a state on January 26, 1819, as the 22nd state in the United States.
2. Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. led a historic march from Selma to Montgomery on January 26, 1965, as part of the movement for voting rights for African Americans.
3. Alabama native and baseball legend Hank Aaron was born on January 26, 1934, in Mobile, and went on to break Babe Ruth's home run record.
4. On January 26, 1861, Alabama became one of the seven states to secede from the United States and join the Confederacy.
5. Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African American military pilots trained at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama during World War II, were honored with a Congressional Gold Medal on January 26, 2007, for their service and bravery.