1. On March 8, 1861, delegates gathered in Montgomery, Alabama to establish the Confederate States of America. Alabama was one of the first states to secede from the Union, and played a prominent role in the Confederacy throughout the Civil War.

2. On March 8, 1873, Anne Royall, a pioneering female journalist, passed away in Alabama. Royall was known for her sharp wit and biting critiques of politicians, and was one of the first women to make a name for herself in the male-dominated field of journalism.

3. On March 8, 1933, a devastating tornado swept through Alabama, killing hundreds of people and causing widespread destruction. The storm hit the towns of Tuscaloosa and Birmingham particularly hard, and is still remembered as one of the worst natural disasters in the state's history.

4. On March 8, 1965, civil rights activists led by Martin Luther King Jr. began a historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The march was a pivotal moment in the struggle for voting rights, and helped to bring attention to the ongoing injustices faced by African Americans in the South.

5. On March 8, 2018, Alabama made headlines when it became the first state in the country to ban "dismemberment" abortions. The controversial law, which prohibits a certain method of performing abortions, has been challenged in court but remains in effect to this day.