1. In 1862, during the American Civil War, Union forces landed in Mobile Bay and commenced the Siege of Fort Morgan, a Confederate stronghold that guarded the entrance to the bay. The siege lasted until August 23 and ended with the fort's surrender.

2. On July 12, 1901, Booker T. Washington delivered a speech at the Tuskegee Institute Commencement in Tuskegee, Alabama. In his speech, Washington encouraged the graduates to focus on practical education and self-reliance to achieve success.

3. In 1912, the Sloss-Sheffield Steel and Iron Company in Birmingham, Alabama experienced one of the deadliest industrial accidents in American history when a gas explosion in a boiler killed 25 workers and injured many more.

4. On July 12, 1961, the Freedom Rides arrived in Birmingham and faced violent resistance from white segregationists. Many of the riders were arrested and jailed, and the brutal attacks they endured garnered national attention and support for the Civil Rights Movement.

5. In 1979, the Alabama State Legislature passed a resolution declaring July 12 as "Geneva County Hog Day" in honor of the county's thriving pork industry. To this day, the annual Geneva County Hog Festival is celebrated on the second weekend in July.