1. In 1820, the state of Alabama officially became the 22nd state to join the United States. It was admitted to the Union as a slave state, and became a hub for agriculture, industry, and transportation in the years that followed.

2. On December 23, 1865, Alabama ratified the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the country. This historic amendment was passed by Congress earlier that year, and was eventually ratified by three-fourths of the states.

3. In 1933, the state capitol building in Montgomery, Alabama was completed and dedicated on December 23. The imposing neoclassical structure was designed by architect Frank Lockwood and features a stunning rotunda, legislative chambers, and numerous historical exhibits.

4. December 23, 1954 marked an important moment in Alabama civil rights history, as the Montgomery Bus Boycott officially began. The boycott was sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks, an African American woman who refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. It lasted for over a year and helped bring about the end of segregated seating on public buses in Montgomery.

5. On December 23, 1986, a devastating tornado tore through the city of Oak Grove, Alabama, killing 22 people and causing widespread destruction. The twister was part of a larger outbreak of tornadoes that occurred across the region during the Christmas holidays, and is still remembered as one of the deadliest tornadoes in Alabama history.