1. On July 8, 1917, the deadliest train wreck in American history occurred near Canton, Mississippi. Two passenger trains collided head-on, killing a total of 101 people and injuring another 171.

2. Civil rights leader and NAACP field secretary, Medgar Evers, was assassinated in Jackson, Mississippi on July 8, 1963. Evers, who had been working to end segregation in Mississippi, was shot in the back while getting out of his car in the driveway of his home. His killer, Byron De La Beckwith, was not convicted until 1994.

3. On July 8, 2004, the state of Mississippi officially retired its controversial state flag, which had featured the Confederate battle emblem. The flag had been a source of controversy and criticism for decades, and many had pushed for its removal due to its association with racism and white supremacy.

4. In 1945, a B-25 bomber crashed into the Mississippi River near Rosedale, killing all 26 people on board. The cause of the crash was likely a combination of pilot error and bad weather conditions.

5. On July 8, 1810, the first newspaper in Mississippi, called the Mississippi Messenger, was published in Natchez. The newspaper was a weekly publication that covered local news, politics, and events. It is no longer in publication.