1. On March 24, 1882, the Mississippi State Capitol building was destroyed by a fire. The building, which had been completed just over a decade earlier, was completely gutted by the blaze. Reconstruction efforts were launched immediately, and the building was restored to its former glory by the late 1890s.

2. In 1962, civil rights leader Medgar Evers delivered a speech in Jackson, MS on March 24th, just a few months before he was assassinated. Evers, who was the Mississippi field secretary for the NAACP, used his platform to advocate for voting rights and an end to segregation in the state.

3. On March 24, 1978, former governor and civil rights leader Aaron Henry became the first African American to receive the Mississippi Freedom Medal. Henry had been a key figure in the civil rights movement in the state, and had played a leading role in the integration of the University of Mississippi in the 1960s.

4. In 1998, the Mississippi River reached its highest level in recorded history on March 24th. The river had been inundated with heavy rainfall and snowmelt, causing widespread flooding throughout the region. The flood caused considerable damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure, and was one of the most costly natural disasters in American history.

5. On March 24, 2010, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour signed a bill into law that allowed concealed weapons to be carried in many public places, including schools and college campuses. The law, which was controversial at the time, was seen by supporters as a way to enhance personal safety and promote the Second Amendment right to bear arms.