1. On February 10, 1796, Tennessee became the 16th state to join the Union. It was created from the southwestern part of North Carolina.

2. In 1862, during the Civil War, the Battle of Fort Donelson began in Stewart County. The battle resulted in a Union victory and was a significant turning point in the war's Western Theater.

3. In 1870, Tennessee ratified the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which granted African American men the right to vote.

4. On February 10, 1925, Judge Robert L. Taylor was elected to the U.S. Senate. He served one term before being defeated in a bid for re-election.

5. In 1979, Willie Horton, a convicted murderer who was serving a life sentence in Tennessee, escaped from prison. His escape became national news and was later used in political advertising during the 1988 U.S. presidential campaign.