1. On March 27, 1625, the English Crown recognized Virginia as a distinct colony with its own governor when King James I issued the third Virginia Charter.

2. In 1813, the Virginia General Assembly passed a law authorizing the establishment of the first state penitentiary in the United States, located in Richmond. The prison was known as the Virginia State Penitentiary and operated until 1991.

3. On March 27, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee evacuated his troops from the Confederate capital of Richmond, with Union troops occupying the city the same day.

4. Virginia's first female governor, L. Douglas Wilder, was born on March 27, 1931. Wilder served as the Commonwealth's governor from 1990 to 1994, and was the first African American governor in U.S. history.

5. NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia tested the first supersonic aircraft on March 27, 1947. The aircraft was designed to break the sound barrier, and the successful test paved the way for future technological advancements in aviation.