What is the home state of various NFL Hall of Famers and the King of Rock and Roll? You might think the men are from the Sunshine State or the Peach State. However, these successful men are from the Magnolia State. Mississippi's rich and interesting history shapes the Magnolia State into what it is today. Before the Mississippi was discovered by Europeans, Native Americans inhabited this land. There were three ethnic groups of Native Americans living in the land that would one day become Mississippi: the Natchez, the Choctaw, and the Chickasaws. The Natchez Indians were known to worship the Sun (Fant 9). The Choctaw Indians lived in southern Mississippi while the Chickasaw Indians lived in the northern part of Mississippi (Fant 7). The Choctaw Indians and the Chickasaw Indians had a rivalry. Within the rivalry, Choctaws and Chickasaws fought each other (Fant 7). Additionally, the Choctaw Indians had a culture of crushing the heads of young children (Fant 10). In return, the children's heads became flat. European explorer Hernando de Soto discovered the Mississippi in 1540 during the winter (“Mississippi”). Since he could not find any gold or silver, de Soto left Mississippi and went somewhere else to look for gold ("Mississippi"). One hundred and fifty-nine years later, Pierre le Moyne d'Iberville claimed part of the Mississippi Valley for France in a French expedition (“Mississippi”). Pensacola was the French colony founded by d'Iberville (Fant 31). The French settlers interacted with the Native Americans. The two groups traded together and the French earned furs within the trade (Fant 33). In 1792, the Natchez Indians killed the French who settled near them ("Timeline"). This is now known as the Natchez Massacre. In D...... middle of paper...... A scholastic reader. Mississippi Publishing Company, 1922. Print.Marszalek, John and Clay Williams. "Mississippi Soldiers in the Civil War." ms.historynow.mdah.state.ms.us. Mississippi Historical Society, 2009. Web. Nov. 12, 2013. "Mississippi Fun Facts." mississippiscv.org. Sons of Confederate Veterans, 2011. Web. September 16, 2013. Petersen, Jennifer. "The History of Mississippi." Let's take a look at Mississippi. Great Neck Publishing, 2010: 7. Magnolia Database. Network. August 26, 2013. "Chronology". worldatlas.com. World Atlas. Network. August 26, 2013.Sansing, David. "Mississippi Governors 1817 to the Present." ms.historynow.mdah.state.ms.us. Mississippi Historical Society, 2013. Web. November 12, 2013. Sansing, David. "Mississippi." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopedia Britannica. Network. August 26, 2013.Watt, Chris. Personal interview. September 5th 2013.