1. On December 10, 1817, Mississippi officially became the 20th state in the United States of America.

2. In 1832, the state legislature chartered the University of Mississippi in Oxford, which opened its doors to students just four years later.

3. On December 10, 1861, Confederate General John C. Pemberton was promoted to the rank of Major General after his defeat of Union troops at the Battle of Belmont.

4. In 1931, the Delta Council was founded in Mississippi. The group was formed to promote and develop the agricultural economy of the Mississippi Delta region.

5. December 10, 2009, marked the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson. The museum chronicles the state's civil rights struggles and achievements, including the bravery of those who fought for equal rights during the 1950s and 1960s.