1. In 1966, James Meredith began his "March Against Fear" from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi. The civil rights activist was shot and wounded on the second day of his march while in Mississippi, but continued the journey with the help of other activists, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Stokely Carmichael.

2. On June 8, 1861, the Alabama legislature voted to break ties with the Union and join the Confederate States of America. Alabama was one of the first states to secede in the lead up to the Civil War.

3. In 1939, the legendary Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant married his wife Mary Harmon Black. The couple remained married until Bryant's death in 1983, and Black went on to establish the Paul W. Bryant Museum at the University of Alabama to honor her husband's legacy.

4. Alabama-born actress and singer Taylor Hicks, known for winning the fifth season of American Idol, was born on June 8, 1976 in Birmingham. Hicks has also made a name for himself as a musician, releasing several albums and performing on Broadway in "Grease" and "Rock of Ages."

5. On June 8, 1993, the Alabama State Legislature approved a resolution to apologize for the state's role in the enslavement of African Americans. The apology was seen as a step towards reconciliation and recognizing the atrocities of slavery in Alabama's history.