1. On December 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude. Mississippi was one of the last states to ratify the amendment on February 7, 1995, after initially rejecting it in 1865.

2. On December 6, 1935, Richard Wright published his debut novel, "Native Son." The book chronicles the life of Bigger Thomas, a young African American man living in poverty in Chicago, and is considered a seminal work of African American literature.

3. On December 6, 1998, Mississippi State University quarterback Wayne Madkin set a record for the most yards passing in a single game in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Madkin threw for 5 touchdowns and 517 yards in a victory over the University of Kentucky.

4. On December 6, 1862, Confederate forces under the command of General Nathan Bedford Forrest captured Holly Springs, Mississippi, during the American Civil War. The victory allowed the Confederates to seize the town's supplies and disrupt Union General Ulysses S. Grant's planned attack on Vicksburg.

5. On December 6, 1964, the iconic Gulfport-Biloxi Bridge officially opened to traffic. The bridge spans the Back Bay of Biloxi and connects the city of Biloxi with Gulfport, allowing for faster and easier travel between the two cities.