1. In 1823, the first steamboat arrived in New Orleans from Pittsburgh, paving the way for a robust trade network along the Mississippi River.

2. Governor Edward Douglass White signed a bill in 1918 to establish the Louisiana State University Medical School in New Orleans.

3. In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech at the Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee. The next day, he was tragically assassinated, sending shockwaves throughout the country including in Louisiana.

4. In 1991, the first Gulf War officially ended with the signing of a ceasefire agreement, bringing thousands of Louisiana National Guard soldiers back home from the conflict.

5. The New Orleans Pelicans basketball team won their final game of the 2012-2013 season on April 3, 2013 against the Dallas Mavericks, clinching a playoff spot for the first time in franchise history.