1. In 1861, Alabama became the fourth state to secede from the United States and join the Confederate States of America. This decision would lead to years of war and devastation for the state.

2. On January 2, 1893, the Alabama State Capitol Building in Montgomery was officially opened to the public. Designed in the Renaissance Revival style, the beautiful building still serves as the seat of Alabama's government today.

3. In 1920, a group of African American residents and soldiers were attacked by a mob in Blount County, Alabama. The incident, known as the Miller-Adams lynching, resulted in the murder of two men and the brutal beating of several others.

4. In 1953, the first commercial television station in Alabama, WBRC-TV, began broadcasting from Birmingham. Today, the station is still on the air and remains a popular source of news and entertainment in the region.

5. On January 2, 2018, Doug Jones was sworn in as the first Democrat to represent Alabama in the U.S. Senate in more than 20 years. Jones' surprising victory over Republican candidate Roy Moore was seen as a major upset in deep red Alabama and was celebrated by Democrats across the country.