1862    American Civil War: Confederate troops evacuate Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River, leaving the way clear for Union troops to take Memphis, Tennessee.

1934    Memphis, Tennessee becomes the first major city to join the Tennessee Valley Authority.

1968    Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated by James Earl Ray at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

1969    In Memphis, Tennessee, James Earl Ray pleads guilty to assassinating Martin Luther King Jr. He later retracts his guilty plea.