1. In 1789, the Virginia General Assembly approved the establishment of the University of Virginia, a public research university located in Charlottesville. With more than 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the University of Virginia is now considered one of the top-ranked public universities in the United States.

2. In 1865, during the American Civil War, Confederate General John S. Mosby led a raid on Fairfax Court House, Virginia, in an attempt to capture Union General Edwin H. Stoughton. Despite encountering unexpected resistance and losing several of his men, Mosby was ultimately successful in capturing Stoughton.

3. In 1899, Virginia-born inventor Thomas Fortune Ryan was granted a patent for an improved safety device for elevators. Ryan's design included a mechanism that would automatically shut off the power to the elevator if the doors were not securely closed, which helped to prevent accidents and improve safety for elevator passengers.

4. In 1923, the Virginia State Capitol Building in Richmond was dedicated after a four-year renovation and expansion project led by architect John Russell Pope. The Capitol Building, which was originally designed by Thomas Jefferson and completed in 1788, is now a National Historic Landmark and the home of the Virginia General Assembly.

5. In 1957, the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled in Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, a landmark case that helped to pave the way for the desegregation of public schools across the United States. The court found that Virginia's policy of allowing local school boards to close schools rather than integrate them was unconstitutional, marking a significant victory for civil rights activists.