1. Mississippi became a state on January 6, 1818. Initially, it was a part of the Mississippi Territory, which was created in 1798. The territory included parts of present-day Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

2. On January 6, 1861, Mississippi became the second state to secede from the Union, following South Carolina. The state joined the Confederacy and played a significant role in the American Civil War.

3. In 1957, six black students known as the "Clinton 12" enrolled in the previously all-white Clinton High School in Clinton, Mississippi, on January 6. This historic event marked the first time black students had been admitted to a previously all-white school in the state and was a significant step towards desegregation.

4. On January 6, 1993, the Mississippi State Capitol building was officially designated a National Historic Landmark. The building was completed in 1903 and is an excellent example of Beaux-Arts architecture.

5. The infamous and tragic murder of civil rights activist Vernon Dahmer took place on January 6, 1966. Dahmer, who had been registering black voters, was firebombed by the Ku Klux Klan, resulting in his death. The incident became a rallying cry for the civil rights movement and a significant event in the struggle for racial equality in Mississippi.