1. In 1970, the first ever Mardi Gras parade in Biloxi, Mississippi was held on February 24th. The parade was organized by the Gulf Coast Carnival Association and has since become an annual tradition in the city.

2. On February 24th, 1843, Mississippi Governor Tilghman Tucker signed a law creating the state's first public school system. The law established a system of free public schools for children ages 5-18 and provided a framework for the funding and operation of these schools.

3. In 1864, the Battle of Okolona took place on February 24th in Chickasaw County, Mississippi. Confederate forces, led by General Nathan Bedford Forrest, were defeated by Union troops under the command of General William T. Sherman.

4. On February 24th, 1928, the first transcontinental air mail flight arrived in Jackson, Mississippi. The flight was operated by National Air Transport and carried mail from New York to San Francisco.

5. In 1999, Mississippi Senator Trent Lott was named Senate Majority Leader on February 24th, becoming the first Southerner to hold the position in more than a century. He served in this role until 2002.