1. In 1835, the town of Chattanooga was officially incorporated. Originally named Ross's Landing, this city along the Tennessee River became an important hub for transportation and industry.

2. On November 18, 1868, George W. Hilton was elected as the first African American member of the Tennessee General Assembly. Hilton represented Davidson County in the state House of Representatives.

3. The infamous Scopes Monkey Trial began on November 18, 1925, in Dayton, Tennessee. High school teacher John T. Scopes faced charges for teaching evolution in the classroom, in violation of the state's Butler Act. The trial drew national attention and pitted the Bible belt against the scientific community.

4. In 1975, Dr. Anna Everett became the first African American woman to earn tenure at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Everett, who specialized in film and media studies, went on to serve as department head and director of graduate studies for the College of Communications and Information.

5. On November 18, 2016, the Tennessee Historical Commission voted to remove a bust of Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan member Nathan Bedford Forrest from the state Capitol. The decision followed several years of controversy and debate over the appropriateness of honoring a controversial figure with a prominent statue in a government building.