1. In 1965, civil rights activist James Reeb, a minister from Boston, was attacked and killed in Selma, Alabama. Reeb was among the white ministers who had come to Selma to support the black community during their struggle for voting rights.

2. On July 15, 1920, the famous baseball player Hank Aaron was born in Mobile, Alabama. Aaron would go on to become one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, setting multiple records and winning numerous awards.

3. On this day in 1962, the spacecraft Telstar was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with the help of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Telstar was the first communications satellite to be put into orbit and helped pave the way for modern satellite communications.

4. In 1870, the city of Birmingham, Alabama, was officially incorporated. The city would go on to become a major center for industry and commerce, particularly in the steel and iron industries.

5. On July 15, 1939, the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American military pilots, began their flight training program in Tuskegee, Alabama. Despite facing discrimination and prejudice, these brave men went on to serve their country with distinction during World War II.