1. In 1861, Confederate troops under General P.G.T. Beauregard bombarded Fort Sumter in South Carolina, marking the start of the American Civil War. Alabama, along with other Southern states, seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy soon after.

2. In 1947, Mobile native Hank Aaron made his professional baseball debut with the Negro League's Indianapolis Clowns. He would go on to become one of the greatest players in Major League Baseball history, breaking Babe Ruth's all-time home run record in 1974.

3. On April 15, 1958, a tornado outbreak struck Alabama, killing 12 people and causing significant damage in several communities. The storm was part of a larger outbreak that impacted the southeastern United States.

4. In 1963, Birmingham's Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was bombed, killing four young African American girls and injuring several others. The attack was a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement and helped galvanize support for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

5. On April 15, 2011, Alabama was hit by a series of tornadoes, including a large EF4 tornado that devastated the city of Tuscaloosa. The storms caused widespread destruction and claimed the lives of over 250 people across the state. The recovery efforts in the aftermath of the tornadoes were extensive and ongoing.