1. In 1853, Virginia Governor Joseph Johnson signed a bill establishing the William and Mary College as a university, marking a pivotal moment in the history of higher education in the state.

2. On December 2, 1859, abolitionist John Brown was executed in Charles Town, Virginia (now West Virginia) following his failed raid on the federal armory in Harpers Ferry. Brown's actions would ultimately contribute to the start of the Civil War.

3. In 1951, the state of Virginia closed its last segregated public school, ending a long and contentious battle over racial segregation in education.

4. History was made on December 2, 2009, when Virginia's attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli, sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its decision to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The case marked a major challenge to the federal government's authority over environmental policy.

5. On December 2, 2014, protesters gathered in Richmond to call for justice following the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. The protest was part of a larger movement against police violence and racial injustice that swept the country in the wake of Brown's death.