1. On December 24, 1817, Mississippi became the 20th state of the United States. It was admitted to the Union as a slave state, and had a population of approximately 40,000 inhabitants at the time.

2. In 1862, during the Civil War, Confederate forces in Holly Springs, Mississippi, surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant on December 24. The Union army occupied Holly Springs and other areas of northern Mississippi, using them as a base to launch their campaign against Vicksburg.

3. On December 24, 1910, the Mississippi Governor's Mansion was officially opened in Jackson. It was designed by architects Spires Bolling and L. J. Cary in the neoclassical style, and is considered one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the state.

4. One of the most infamous events in Mississippi history occurred on December 24, 1941. African American sharecropper Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot by a state trooper in Marion, Alabama, while participating in a peaceful voting rights march. Jackson later died from his injuries, and his death became a catalyst for the civil rights movement.

5. December 24, 2018 saw severe storms and tornadoes sweep across Mississippi, causing widespread damage and destruction. The town of Columbus was particularly hard-hit, with at least one death and numerous injuries reported. The storm system affected several states in the southeastern United States, and was one of the deadliest weather events of the year.