1. On July 30, 1917, the Eastland steamship disaster occurred in Chicago, Illinois. However, among the 844 victims were eight residents of Mississippi who were on board the ship at the time of the incident.

2. In 1945, Mississippi native and World War II hero, Robert W. Harrill, was awarded the Purple Heart for his bravery in the Battle of Iwo Jima. Harrill, who was known as "The Fort Fisher Hermit," survived the war and continued to live in his self-made cave in North Carolina until his death in 1972.

3. On July 30, 1956, the Federal Communications Commission granted the first license for a television station in Mississippi. The station, WLBT, began broadcasting in Jackson later that same year.

4. Civil rights activist and Mississippi native, Fannie Lou Hamer, testified before the Democratic National Convention Credentials Committee on July 30, 1964. Hamer's powerful testimony, in which she spoke out against voter suppression and racism, helped to bring national attention to the civil rights movement in Mississippi.

5. On July 30, 1984, the Mississippi Public Service Commission approved a rate increase for Mississippi Power Company. The increase, which was the largest in state history at the time, was met with significant backlash and protests from customers and advocacy groups.