1. In 1794, the state legislature of Tennessee officially approved the establishment of Blount College in Knoxville, which later became the University of Tennessee.

2. In 1861, Tennessee became the 11th state to secede from the Union and join the Confederacy at the start of the Civil War. The state was later the site of several major battles, including the Battle of Chattanooga in 1863.

3. In 1948, Tennessee Governor Jim Nance McCord signed a bill making it the first state in the United States to prohibit racial segregation in its public schools.

4. In 1964, Tennessee Governor Frank G. Clement signed the Civil Rights Act, which outlawed racial discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations.

5. In 2017, thousands of people gathered in Nashville to participate in the Women's March, a nationwide protest in response to the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The event was one of many held across the U.S. and around the world.