Tennessee began automobile registration in 1905 and state-issued plates in 1915.  Because the 1915 plate was only issued for six months, and only to newly-registered vehicles, it is extremely rare today.  From 1936 through 1956, plates were actually cut out in the shape of the state.  The 1943 tab has no date on it; only a letter "C" or "D" was used to denote the passenger weight class.  1951 is Tennessee's most popular plate due to the University of Tennessee colors of orange and white.  Purportedly chosen to honor UT's 1951 NCAA championship win, it was puzzling to learn that the new colors were already announced in newspapers on October 5, 1950, only two games into UT's Fall 1950 schedule.  The answer?  It turns out the team won the national title in both years 1950 and 1951!  The current issue of plates started in 2006.