1. On November 9, 1861, Confederate General Felix Zollicoffer was killed in the Battle of Mill Springs, one of the first significant Union victories in the Civil War. The battle took place in Pulaski County, Kentucky, but Zollicoffer was a native of Tennessee and had been a prominent journalist and politician in the state before the war.

2. Tennessee's first Governor, John Sevier, died on November 9, 1815, at the age of 70. Sevier had been a key figure in the early settlement of Tennessee, leading the frontiersmen who fought at the Battle of Kings Mountain during the Revolutionary War.

3. The first oil well in Tennessee was drilled on November 9, 1939, near the city of Wartburg in Morgan County. The well produced a small amount of oil and gas, but the discovery led to increased interest in geological exploration and prospecting in the region.

4. On November 9, 1989, a tornado outbreak struck parts of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama, causing significant damage and loss of life. The storms were particularly severe in Tennessee, with 16 tornadoes touching down and killing 12 people.

5. One of the most famous trials in Tennessee history began on November 9, 1925, in Dayton, Tennessee. The Scopes Monkey Trial, as it became known, pitted the state's anti-evolution law against the teachings of science teacher John Scopes. The trial drew national attention and was seen as a major clash between science and religion.