1. In 1901, the state of Alabama passed a new constitution that effectively disenfranchised a significant portion of the state's African American population. This constitution, which remains in effect today, has been called one of the most racist and undemocratic in the country.

2. On August 23, 1963, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech in Birmingham, Alabama in which he famously proclaimed, "I have a dream." The speech is considered one of King's most powerful and influential addresses, and it helped galvanize support for the civil rights movement.

3. On August 23, 1975, a fire broke out at the historic Howard College building in Marion, Alabama. The fire, which was later determined to be arson, destroyed the building and many of its valuable contents. The incident is still considered one of the most devastating fires in Alabama history.

4. In 2006, the Alabama State Capitol building in Montgomery was designated a National Historic Landmark. The building, which was completed in 1851, played a significant role in the Civil War and the civil rights movement, and it remains an important symbol of the state's history.

5. On August 23, 2011, Tuscaloosa, Alabama was struck by a devastating tornado that caused widespread destruction and left many dead or injured. The tornado was part of a larger wave of storms that hit the southern United States that year, and it remains one of the deadliest and most destructive tornadoes in Alabama history.