A super outbreak of 62 tornadoes hit Alabama in April 2011, killing 238 people and devastating many communities.

Thomas Bassett was a loyalist to the British monarchy during the Revolutionary era and one of the earliest white settlers in Alabama outside Mobile. He settled in the Tombigbee District during the early 1770s.

American football, particularly at the college level, plays a major part in Alabama’s culture.

Alabama’s economy in the 21st century is based on automotive, finance, tourism, manufacturing, aerospace, mineral extraction, healthcare, education, retail, and technology.

Alabama’s economy shifted away from traditional industries like lumber, steel, and textiles due to increased foreign competition. New industries, such as technology and automobile manufacturing, emerged, with Huntsville benefiting from the opening of the George C. Marshall Space Flight ...Read more

Notable civil rights events in Alabama included the Montgomery bus boycott (1955–1956), Freedom Rides in 1961, and the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches. These events contributed to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting ...Read more

Alabama adopted new voting systems, such as cumulative voting and limited voting, in several jurisdictions. These changes resulted in more proportional representation and increased the number of African Americans and women elected to local offices.

There are 73 amphibian species in Alabama.

Hurricane Ivan, a category 3 storm upon landfall, struck Alabama in 2004, causing over $18 billion in damage. It was one of the most destructive storms in the state’s modern history.

North Alabama is mostly mountainous, with the Tennessee River creating numerous creeks, streams, rivers, mountains, and lakes.