The term “Mississippi” is derived from the Anishinabe tribe of Native Americans and means “Father of Waters”.¹⁾

Though not as well-known as the Mississippi River, the Missouri River in the United States is almost 100 miles longer.²⁾

Mississippi became the 20th state of the United States in 1817.³⁾

Alcorn State University, located in Claiborne County, Mississippi, is the country's first African American land-grant university.⁴⁾

Robert Parris Moses was a key organizer of the American civil rights movement in the 1960s, fostering student protests in Mississippi based on community organizing and mobilization concepts.⁵⁾

Poultry, soybeans, lumber, and cotton are Mississippi's top agricultural exports.⁶⁾

When the Ohio and Missouri River tributaries are counted as part of the Mississippi River, the river system becomes the world's third biggest.⁷⁾

Edward Barq created Barq's Root Beer in Biloxi, Mississippi, in 1897.⁸⁾

In 1963, Dr. James D. Hardy of the University of Mississippi Medical Center performed the first successful human lung transplant.⁹⁾

Dr. James D. Hardy of the University of Mississippi transplanted a chimp heart into a human in 1964. The heart continued to beat for 90 minutes before stopping. The transplant generated heated controversy among doctors.¹⁰⁾

Mississippi has the world's longest man-made beach. From Biloxi to Henderson Point, the beach stretches over 26 kilometers.¹¹⁾

In 1964, civil rights activists in Mississippi formed the “Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party” to compete with the Mississippi Democratic Party, which was solely open to white people.¹²⁾

Mississippi University for Women, established in 1884, was the country's first state-funded female institution.¹³⁾

Mississippi is home to the Eastern United States' sole petrified forest.¹⁴⁾

Jackson is the state capital of Mississippi.¹⁵⁾