1. On August 4, 1964, the bodies of three civil rights workers, Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman, were found buried in an earthen dam near Philadelphia, Mississippi. The three men had disappeared on June 21st while investigating the burning of a black church. Their murders led to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

2. On August 4, 1832, the first issue of the Jackson Daily News was published in Jackson, Mississippi. The newspaper underwent several name changes over the years but continued to serve the capital city until ceasing publication in 2019.

3. On August 4, 1998, Governor Kirk Fordice signed the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) into law. The program was designed to provide funds to school districts based on the individual needs of their students.

4. On August 4, 1944, Mississippi State Senator Theo Bilbo made a speech on the Senate floor in which he referred to African Americans as "niggers" and advocated for the deportation of all black Americans from the United States. The speech led to national condemnation, and Bilbo's fellow senators censured him.

5. On August 4, 1997, a tornado ripped through the town of West Point, Mississippi, killing three people and causing significant damage. The tornado was later classified as an F3 on the Fujita scale and was part of a larger outbreak that affected several southern states.