1. In 1861, the state of Alabama officially joined the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. Alabama became the fourth state to secede from the Union, following South Carolina, Mississippi, and Florida.

2. On July 8, 1977, the iconic Selma to Montgomery March was recognized as a National Historic Trail by the National Park Service. The march was a crucial part of the Civil Rights Movement, and this recognition preserves its significance in American history.

3. Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American military pilots, were trained at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama during World War II. On July 8, 1948, President Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981, desegregating the armed forces and opening the way for the Tuskegee Airmen to serve their country without racial discrimination.

4. The Iron Bowl, the annual college football game between the University of Alabama and Auburn University, has been played on November 30, 1985, since its inception in 1893. However, on July 8, 1989, the two teams faced off in Birmingham on this date for the first time. Auburn won the game 30-20.

5. On July 8, 2007, NASA launched the Phoenix Mars Lander, which successfully landed on Mars on May 25, 2008. The lander conducted scientific experiments and collected data about the planet's geology, climate, and habitability.