1. On March 18, 1818, Congress authorized the establishment of the Alabama Territory, which led to Alabama becoming the 22nd state of the United States in 1819.
2. On March 18, 1937, the Supreme Court of Alabama overturned the conviction of the Scottsboro Boys, nine African American teenagers who were falsely accused of rape in 1931. This landmark decision paved the way for civil rights progress in the state.
3. On March 18, 1965, civil rights protesters attempted to march from Selma to Montgomery, but were brutally beaten by police on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. This event, known as "Bloody Sunday," became a turning point for the civil rights movement and led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act later that year.
4. On March 18, 1975, the University of Alabama basketball team played in their first-ever NCAA tournament game, which they won 75-55 against Southern Illinois. The team went on to reach the Elite Eight that year.
5. On March 18, 2014, a tornado outbreak swept through Alabama, causing significant damage and several fatalities. Over 30 tornadoes were reported across the state on this day, including an EF2 tornado that struck a residential area in Jacksonville.