1. On April 28, 1864, Union forces led by General Franz Sigel were defeated by Confederate forces at the Battle of New Market in Shenandoah County. Interestingly, the Confederate forces included several hundred teenage cadets from the Virginia Military Institute who were hastily called into action by General John C. Breckinridge.

2. On April 28, 1924, Virginia-born Admiral Richard E. Byrd became the first person to fly over the North Pole. Byrd, who was born in Winchester, Virginia, achieved this feat during a nearly 15-hour flight in a Fokker tri-motor airplane.

3. On April 28, 1941, Virginia Military Institute cadets were called into federal service as part of the United States' preparations for World War II. This marked the first time VMI cadets were called into service since the Civil War.

4. On April 28, 1972, the U.S. Senate passed the Clean Water Act, which aimed to regulate and reduce water pollution in the United States. The legislation was championed by Virginia Senator Edmund S. Muskie, who was also the act's primary sponsor.

5. On April 28, 2007, Virginia Tech experienced one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history when a gunman killed 32 people on the school's campus in Blacksburg. The tragedy prompted discussions about campus safety and stricter gun control laws.