1. On this day in 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia, effectively ending the American Civil War. This event marked a significant turning point in Alabama history, as the state had been a major battleground throughout the conflict.

2. April 5, 1933 saw the birth of agricultural scientist Howard H. Dalton in Huntsville, Alabama. Dalton would go on to become a leading figure in the field of plant pathology, developing new methods for controlling plant diseases that benefited farmers and consumers alike.

3. On this day in 1951, the Mobile Press-Register newspaper won the Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the Korean War. The paper's reporters and photographers had covered the conflict from the front lines, providing readers with a vivid and compelling narrative of the war's impact on Alabama and the nation as a whole.

4. April 5, 1968 was the day of Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral, held at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Though King was not from Alabama, his legacy and leadership had a profound impact on the state's civil rights movement, which had been one of the most active and influential in the country.

5. In 1977, the Alabama Symphony Orchestra played its first concert, with acclaimed conductor Paul Polivnick leading the ensemble. Since then, the ASO has become one of the premier orchestras in the Southeastern United States, performing a wide range of classical and contemporary music for audiences across Alabama and beyond.