1. In 1794, the Southwest Territory, which included what is now Tennessee, adopted its first constitution in Knoxville. This constitution guaranteed freedom of religion and paved the way for statehood.

2. On July 17, 1862, the Battle of Murfreesboro, also known as the Battle of Stones River, began. It was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, with over 23,000 casualties. The battle lasted until January 2, 1863, and ended in a Union victory.

3. In 1933, the world's first airplane factory owned and operated by African Americans was established in Nashville. The plant produced the Emancipator, the first airplane designed by African Americans.

4. On July 17, 1955, the first nuclear power plant in the United States to generate electricity for a commercial power grid went online in Brown's Ferry, Alabama, near the Tennessee state line. The plant was operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

5. In 2007, former Vice President Al Gore returned to his home state of Tennessee to testify before a senate committee about climate change. Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," had reignited interest in the issue and earned him a Nobel Peace Prize.