1. On December 15, 1817, Mississippi was admitted as the 20th state in the United States of America. It was the second state to be created from the Mississippi Territory, which was established in 1798.

2. On December 15, 1894, the first football game was played in the state of Mississippi when Mississippi A&M (now Mississippi State University) defeated Mississippi College 17-0. The game took place in Jackson, Mississippi.

3. On December 15, 1962, Medgar Evers, a civil rights leader in Mississippi, was the victim of a drive-by shooting outside his home in Jackson, Mississippi. Evers was the Mississippi field secretary for the NAACP and was assassinated by Byron De La Beckwith, a member of the White Citizens’ Council.

4. On December 15, 1978, the United States Supreme Court ruled in the case of Smith v. City of Jackson that the city’s use of at-large voting diluted the voting strength of African Americans. This ruling led to the creation of single-member districts in Jackson, Mississippi.

5. On December 15, 1989, the first casino in Mississippi, the Isle of Capri, opened in Biloxi, Mississippi. The establishment of casinos in the state has had a significant impact on the economy and tourism industry, with multiple casinos now operating along the Gulf Coast.