1. In 1773, former Alabama governor and Revolutionary War hero William Wyatt Bibb was born in Amelia County, Virginia. Bibb would go on to play a key role in the establishment of the Alabama Territory and later become the state's first governor.
2. On March 5, 1868, the Alabama State Constitution was ratified, officially readmitting the state to the Union following the Civil War. The new constitution guaranteed equal rights for all citizens and established a public school system.
3. The famous Alabama State Capitol building in Montgomery was completed on March 5, 1851. The building served as the state capitol until 1985 and has since become a historic landmark and tourist attraction.
4. On March 5, 1965, civil rights activist and voting rights advocate Amelia Boynton Robinson was brutally beaten by state troopers during the Selma to Montgomery march. The violent incident helped bring national attention to the fight for voting rights for African Americans in the South.
5. In 1959, the first Saturn rocket was tested at the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. This test marked the beginning of an important chapter in U.S. space exploration and set the stage for the Apollo moon landing program.