1. In 1863, the Battle of Arkansas Post took place in eastern Arkansas near the Mississippi River. Union forces led by Major General John McClernand and Rear Admiral David D. Porter defeated Confederate forces led by Brigadier General Thomas J. Churchill. This battle marked a significant victory for the Union in the western theater of the American Civil War.

2. In 1944, civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer was born in Montgomery County, Mississippi. Hamer played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement, working with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and participating in the Freedom Summer of 1964. She was known for her powerful speeches and activism focused on voting rights for African Americans.

3. In 1961, the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission was formed. This agency was created as a response to the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. The Commission worked to maintain segregation and suppress the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi, using tactics such as spying, intimidation, and propaganda.

4. In 1994, Mississippi State University won its first-ever Peach Bowl, defeating the University of North Carolina 28-24 in Atlanta, Georgia. This victory marked a significant moment for the MSU football program and helped solidify their place as a competitive team in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

5. In 2012, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour granted a full and unconditional pardon to Jamie and Gladys Scott, who had been serving life sentences for a 1993 armed robbery. The case had received national attention due to concerns over the fairness of the trial and sentencing, and the Scott sisters' advocates had been campaigning for their release for many years.