1. In 1775, the Virginia Convention adopted a resolution to organize a state militia to resist British aggression, one of the first steps towards the American Revolution.

2. In 1863, Union troops under General William Averell launched a raid on Confederate positions around Salem, Virginia, as part of the larger operations in the region known as the Union's "Spring Campaign."

3. In 1901, the Virginia State Capitol building in Richmond was destroyed by fire, with only the walls remaining intact. The building was later rebuilt with a new dome and restored interiors.

4. In 1913, the Virginia General Assembly ratified the 16th Amendment to the US Constitution, which established the federal income tax system still in use today.

5. In 1955, the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington admitted its first African American student, Nat Turner. Turner faced harassment and discrimination during his time at VMI, but later became a successful civil rights lawyer and advocate.