Since becoming a state in 1817, there have been a lot of Mississippi historical events that really stuck in our minds. Throughout the years, the state has experienced everything from natural disasters to historic milestones. And no matter how much time has passed, certain events will forever remain in the memory of those born and raised in the Magnolia State. Here are 11 perfect examples of historical events in Mississippi.
- 1969 - Hurricane Camille
NOAA/Wikimedia Hurricane Camille, a category 5 storm struck in August of 1969, hitting Mississippi’s Gulf Coast in the early morning hours. With wind speeds at over 200 mph, Hurricane Camille left a trail of destruction in her wake. When all was said and done, the hurricane claimed more than 200 victims and caused over $1 billion in damages (that’s a little over $9 million in today’s money!).
- 2005 - Hurricane Katrina
Mark Wolfe/Wikimedia Initially, Hurricane Katrina wasn’t viewed as much of a threat; however, it eventually evolved into “one of the deadliest storms in US history.” As it hovered over the southern region of the state, it pounded the area with winds well over 100 mph, resulting in $75 billion in damages and over 1,800 deaths. Surely this is one of the most tragic historical events that happened in Mississippi history.
- 1994 – Southern Ice Storm (a.k.a. Delta Ice Storm)
NOAA/Wikimedia Considered “the 2nd worst ice storm in history,” the Southern Ice Storm hit the South on February 9 - 13, 1994, affecting 11 states total. The vast amount of ice brought by the storm caused more than 80,000 utility poles to collapse, leaving more than 2 million people without power.
- 1997 - Pearl High School Shooting
City of Pearl Government/Facebook On October 1, 1997, the city of Pearl was forever changed after a shooting at the local high school left two dead and seven injured. The gunman wound up being Luke Woodham, a 16-year-old student. Once apprehended, it was learned that, prior to the shooting, Woodham stabbed and bludgeoned his mother to death.
- 2010 – Gulf Oil Spill
DVIDSHUB/Wikimedia Deemed “the worst oil spill in U.S. history,” the Gulf Oil Spill was a result of the April 20th explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Following the horrific accident, which killed 11 people, underwater cameras revealed that a pipe was leaking oil and gas on the ocean floor. On July 15th, 87 days after the explosion, the pipe was capped; however, by that time, an estimated 3.19 million barrels of oil had leaked into the Gulf of Mexico.
- 1962 – Riots at University of Mississippi
Jerry Huff, United Press International/Wikimedia After a Supreme Court ruling, African American James Meredith was admitted to the University of Mississippi; however, when he arrived to register for classes in September of 1962, the entrance was blocked. In response, Attorney General Robert Kennedy and President John F. Kennedy sent hundreds of U.S. Marshals, military police, troops from the National Guard, and officials from the U.S. Border Patrol to accompany Meredith to the campus.
- 1973 - Pascagoula Alien Abduction
Staecker/Wikimedia On the night of October 11, 1973, the coastal town of Pascagoula became the site of “the 2nd most famous UFO abduction case in history.” The two men at the center of the Pascagoula alien abduction were Charles Hickson, 42, and Calvin Parker, Jr., 19. According to their testimony, Hickson was taken aboard a UFO and inspected for about 20 minutes. After the ordeal, the two men reported the incident to local authorities, and by the next day, it was national news.
- 1979 - Easter Flood
National Weather Service/Wikimedia In April of 1979, central Mississippi experienced severe thunderstorms, which continued for about 36 hours and caused some areas to receive as much as 20 inches of rain. On Friday the 13th, the rain finally stopped but as the date suggests, the bad luck was just beginning. The massive flooding forced about 17,000 people from their homes with damage totaling approximately $500 million.
- 1963 – Woolworth Sit-In
Ron Cogswell/Wikimedia On May 28, 1963, several students from Tougaloo College staged a sit-in at a segregated lunch counter at Woolworth’s in Jackson. The protest occurred just after the Supreme Court legalized sit-ins; however, the local police did little as the integrated group of protesters was attacked by a mob of about 300.
- 2013 - Tornado Outbreak
National Weather Service Jackson, Mississippi/Wikimedia In February of 2013, a total of eight tornadoes touched down in Mississippi and Alabama. One of the tornadoes was an extremely large, multiple-vortex wedge tornado with winds up to 170 mph. It caused widespread damage across four counties, with the Hattiesburg and Petal areas receiving some of the worst damage. Due to the severity of the storm, Mississippi was declared a federal disaster area by President Barack Obama.
- 1977 – Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash
Logawi at English Wikipedia/Wikimedia On October 20, 1977, while en route to Baton Rouge, the twin engine plane transporting Lynyrd Skynryd and about 20 others ran out of fuel and crash landed in a Gillsburg swamp. Authorities were alerted when a few survivors made their way to a nearby farm and called for help. Unfortunately, six of the planes twenty six passengers died on impact and others suffered massive injury. It was a tragic event unlike any other in Mississippi.
Do you remember these significant historical moments in Mississippi past? Which of them were the most impactful to you to learn about or live through? Or did we perhaps leave one off the list that you think we should cover? Let us know in the comments section.
NOAA/Wikimedia
Hurricane Camille, a category 5 storm struck in August of 1969, hitting Mississippi’s Gulf Coast in the early morning hours. With wind speeds at over 200 mph, Hurricane Camille left a trail of destruction in her wake. When all was said and done, the hurricane claimed more than 200 victims and caused over $1 billion in damages (that’s a little over $9 million in today’s money!).
Mark Wolfe/Wikimedia
Initially, Hurricane Katrina wasn’t viewed as much of a threat; however, it eventually evolved into “one of the deadliest storms in US history.” As it hovered over the southern region of the state, it pounded the area with winds well over 100 mph, resulting in $75 billion in damages and over 1,800 deaths. Surely this is one of the most tragic historical events that happened in Mississippi history.
Considered “the 2nd worst ice storm in history,” the Southern Ice Storm hit the South on February 9 - 13, 1994, affecting 11 states total. The vast amount of ice brought by the storm caused more than 80,000 utility poles to collapse, leaving more than 2 million people without power.
City of Pearl Government/Facebook
On October 1, 1997, the city of Pearl was forever changed after a shooting at the local high school left two dead and seven injured. The gunman wound up being Luke Woodham, a 16-year-old student. Once apprehended, it was learned that, prior to the shooting, Woodham stabbed and bludgeoned his mother to death.
DVIDSHUB/Wikimedia
Deemed “the worst oil spill in U.S. history,” the Gulf Oil Spill was a result of the April 20th explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Following the horrific accident, which killed 11 people, underwater cameras revealed that a pipe was leaking oil and gas on the ocean floor. On July 15th, 87 days after the explosion, the pipe was capped; however, by that time, an estimated 3.19 million barrels of oil had leaked into the Gulf of Mexico.
Jerry Huff, United Press International/Wikimedia
After a Supreme Court ruling, African American James Meredith was admitted to the University of Mississippi; however, when he arrived to register for classes in September of 1962, the entrance was blocked. In response, Attorney General Robert Kennedy and President John F. Kennedy sent hundreds of U.S. Marshals, military police, troops from the National Guard, and officials from the U.S. Border Patrol to accompany Meredith to the campus.
Staecker/Wikimedia
On the night of October 11, 1973, the coastal town of Pascagoula became the site of “the 2nd most famous UFO abduction case in history.” The two men at the center of the Pascagoula alien abduction were Charles Hickson, 42, and Calvin Parker, Jr., 19. According to their testimony, Hickson was taken aboard a UFO and inspected for about 20 minutes. After the ordeal, the two men reported the incident to local authorities, and by the next day, it was national news.
National Weather Service/Wikimedia
In April of 1979, central Mississippi experienced severe thunderstorms, which continued for about 36 hours and caused some areas to receive as much as 20 inches of rain. On Friday the 13th, the rain finally stopped but as the date suggests, the bad luck was just beginning. The massive flooding forced about 17,000 people from their homes with damage totaling approximately $500 million.
Ron Cogswell/Wikimedia
On May 28, 1963, several students from Tougaloo College staged a sit-in at a segregated lunch counter at Woolworth’s in Jackson. The protest occurred just after the Supreme Court legalized sit-ins; however, the local police did little as the integrated group of protesters was attacked by a mob of about 300.
National Weather Service Jackson, Mississippi/Wikimedia
In February of 2013, a total of eight tornadoes touched down in Mississippi and Alabama. One of the tornadoes was an extremely large, multiple-vortex wedge tornado with winds up to 170 mph. It caused widespread damage across four counties, with the Hattiesburg and Petal areas receiving some of the worst damage. Due to the severity of the storm, Mississippi was declared a federal disaster area by President Barack Obama.
Logawi at English Wikipedia/Wikimedia
On October 20, 1977, while en route to Baton Rouge, the twin engine plane transporting Lynyrd Skynryd and about 20 others ran out of fuel and crash landed in a Gillsburg swamp. Authorities were alerted when a few survivors made their way to a nearby farm and called for help. Unfortunately, six of the planes twenty six passengers died on impact and others suffered massive injury. It was a tragic event unlike any other in Mississippi.
If you enjoyed this and are interested in more Mississippi history, be sure to check out our list of powerful moments in Mississippi history. Or perhaps you are looking more towards the future, then we recommend taking a look at our list of day trips in Mississippi. There is something fun for every sort of adventurer on this list.
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The OIYS Visitor Center
Mississippi History December 14, 2022 Sara Dager Can I hike to historical sites in Mississippi? There are a few interesting historical sites in Mississippi that you can lace up your boots and hike to. Some of the best hikes to take are:
Potkopinu Trail Blackland Prairie Trail Rocky Springs Trail Bailey’s Woods/Rowan Oak Hiking Trail Dunn’s Falls Hiking Trail CCC Camp Trail Possum Walk Trail
We recommend always checking trail difficulty and weather conditions before heading out, we want everyone to stay safe! What have been the worst storms in Mississippi history? Storm chasers will be interested to know that there have been a fair few bad storms in Mississippi history, some that brought the state to a grinding halt for multiple days, including:
Great Blizzard of 1899 Ice Storm of 1996 Great Ice Storm of 1951 February 2021 Winter Storm
What are some unique things about Mississippi? A lot of the unique things about Mississippi are what make it a fascinating place to live, a few examples are:
The Vicksburg National Cemetery is so large it could fill two of New York’s Grand Central Station. Mississippi is the catfish capital of the world. Producing millions of pounds a year with thousands of acres dedicated to their cultivation. Mississippi is 1,000 times the size of Disney World!
The OIYS Visitor Center
Mississippi History
December 14, 2022
Sara Dager
Can I hike to historical sites in Mississippi? There are a few interesting historical sites in Mississippi that you can lace up your boots and hike to. Some of the best hikes to take are:
Potkopinu Trail Blackland Prairie Trail Rocky Springs Trail Bailey’s Woods/Rowan Oak Hiking Trail Dunn’s Falls Hiking Trail CCC Camp Trail Possum Walk Trail
We recommend always checking trail difficulty and weather conditions before heading out, we want everyone to stay safe! What have been the worst storms in Mississippi history? Storm chasers will be interested to know that there have been a fair few bad storms in Mississippi history, some that brought the state to a grinding halt for multiple days, including:
Great Blizzard of 1899 Ice Storm of 1996 Great Ice Storm of 1951 February 2021 Winter Storm
What are some unique things about Mississippi? A lot of the unique things about Mississippi are what make it a fascinating place to live, a few examples are:
The Vicksburg National Cemetery is so large it could fill two of New York’s Grand Central Station. Mississippi is the catfish capital of the world. Producing millions of pounds a year with thousands of acres dedicated to their cultivation. Mississippi is 1,000 times the size of Disney World!
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
There are a few interesting historical sites in Mississippi that you can lace up your boots and hike to. Some of the best hikes to take are:
- Potkopinu Trail
- Blackland Prairie Trail
- Rocky Springs Trail
- Bailey’s Woods/Rowan Oak Hiking Trail
- Dunn’s Falls Hiking Trail
- CCC Camp Trail
- Possum Walk Trail
We recommend always checking trail difficulty and weather conditions before heading out, we want everyone to stay safe!
What have been the worst storms in Mississippi history?
Storm chasers will be interested to know that there have been a fair few bad storms in Mississippi history, some that brought the state to a grinding halt for multiple days, including:
- Great Blizzard of 1899
- Ice Storm of 1996
- Great Ice Storm of 1951
- February 2021 Winter Storm
What are some unique things about Mississippi?
A lot of the unique things about Mississippi are what make it a fascinating place to live, a few examples are:
- The Vicksburg National Cemetery is so large it could fill two of New York’s Grand Central Station.
- Mississippi is the catfish capital of the world. Producing millions of pounds a year with thousands of acres dedicated to their cultivation.
- Mississippi is 1,000 times the size of Disney World!
