1. In 1900, the state of Mississippi became the first state in the United States to establish a statewide system of junior colleges, with the opening of the Mississippi Industrial Institute and College in Columbus.

2. On November 3, 1936, the Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak struck the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, killing 216 people and injuring 1,000 others. It is still one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in American history.

3. In 1963, civil rights leader Medgar Evers led a voter registration drive in Greenwood, Mississippi, which resulted in the arrest of over 70 activists. This event helped bring attention to the fight for voting rights in the state and the country.

4. On November 3, 1980, Ronald Reagan won the presidential election, carrying Mississippi with 59.41% of the vote. This marked the first time since Reconstruction that a Republican presidential candidate won the state.

5. In 2015, Mississippi elected its first female Republican Senator, Cindy Hyde-Smith, in a special election. She later won re-election in 2018, becoming the first woman to ever be elected to Congress from Mississippi.