1. On April 12, 1861, Confederate troops under the command of General P.G.T. Beauregard fired the first shots of the American Civil War from Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Alabama was one of the seceding states that formed the Confederacy during the Civil War.

2. On April 12, 1865, Union troops under the command of General James Wilson entered Montgomery, the capital of Alabama, and officially ended the Civil War in the state. This event marked the beginning of Reconstruction in Alabama.

3. On April 12, 1888, Birmingham, Alabama was officially incorporated as a city. With the discovery of iron ore and coal deposits in the area, Birmingham quickly became one of the largest industrial centers in the South.

4. On April 12, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama for leading a civil rights demonstration. King's arrest drew national attention to the civil rights movement and inspired many to join the fight for equality.

5. On April 12, 1989, the University of Alabama's women's basketball team won the NCAA championship. This was the first national championship for the university's women's basketball program and remains one of the proudest moments in Alabama sports history.