1. On October 12, 1864, the Civil War Battle of Saltville occurred in the Virginia town of the same name, where Louisiana soldiers fought for the Confederacy. The battle was one of the last Confederate victories of the war.

2. In 1933, Louisiana's Huey P. Long Bridge was officially opened to traffic on October 12. The bridge spans the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge and was the longest bridge in the world when it was built.

3. On October 12, 1892, Tulane University's football team played its first ever game against Louisiana College. Tulane won 50-0 and went on to become one of the most successful college football programs in the nation.

4. Louisiana native and country music legend, Slim Whitman, was born on October 12, 1923. Whitman's unique style and high-pitched yodeling made him a beloved figure in the country music scene.

5. On October 12, 1918, Louisiana was experiencing the deadliest period of the Spanish flu pandemic. The virus had already claimed over 4,000 lives in the state and would go on to kill tens of thousands more before the pandemic subsided.