1. On July 20, 1861, the First Battle of Manassas (also known as the First Battle of Bull Run) was fought in Prince William County, Virginia. It was the first major land battle of the American Civil War.

2. On July 20, 1975, famed musician and guitarist Peter Frampton performed at the Jai-Alai Fronton in Alexandria, Virginia. The concert was part of his "Frampton Comes Alive" tour, which went on to become one of the best-selling live albums in history.

3. On July 20, 1982, serial killer Ricky Lee Javon Gray committed his first known murders in Richmond, Virginia. Over the next 7 months, he and his accomplice would go on to kill at least 7 more people before being apprehended by police.

4. On July 20, 1984, the Democratic National Convention was held in San Francisco, California. Virginia Governor Chuck Robb was considered a potential vice presidential nominee, but the party ultimately chose Geraldine Ferraro as Walter Mondale's running mate.

5. On July 20, 2005, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the state's ban on interracial marriage was unconstitutional. The case involved a couple, one black and one white, who were denied a marriage license by a county clerk in 1958. The ruling overturned a 1967 Supreme Court decision that had upheld Virginia's ban.