July 24 may seem like just another day, but it holds a variety of interesting events in Mississippi history. Here are five facts to consider:

1. Birth of Eudora Welty: One of Mississippi’s most notable writers, Eudora Welty, was born on July 24, 1909, in Jackson. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1973 for her novel “The Optimist’s Daughter.”

2. First Mississippi flag: On July 24, 1861, the Mississippi legislature adopted the first state flag. It featured a blue background with a magnolia tree in the center and a white star on each side.

3. School desegregation: On July 24, 1962, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the desegregation of Jackson State College (now Jackson State University). This was a significant moment in the civil rights movement in Mississippi.

4. Tornado strikes Yazoo City: On July 24, 1978, an F4 tornado struck the Yazoo City area, killing nine people and causing millions of dollars in damage. It remains one of the deadliest tornadoes in Mississippi history.

5. Execution of murderer: On July 24, 1984, convicted murderer Mack Arthur King was executed by lethal injection. He was the first person to be executed in Mississippi since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976.

These events demonstrate the diverse and impactful history of Mississippi, and the significance of even seemingly ordinary days like July 24.