1. On November 17, 1775, Lord Dunmore's proclamation was issued. John Murray, the 4th Earl of Dunmore and Governor of Virginia, offered freedom to slaves who would join the British army in the American Revolutionary War.

2. The first recorded sea battle of the Civil War occurred on November 17, 1861, off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Confederate warship CSS Sumter engaged the USS Iroquois and USS Monticello, but was ultimately forced to surrender.

3. The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) was established on November 17, 1839, in Lexington, Virginia. The military college was founded to train officers for the state militia, and played significant roles in both the Civil War and World War II.

4. On November 17, 1973, the University of Virginia Cavaliers football team played their final game at the original Scott Stadium. The team defeated the Maryland Terrapins 33-0 in front of a crowd of 32,000 fans.

5. The USS Virginia, a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, was commissioned on November 17, 2004, in Groton, Connecticut. The submarine is named after the state of Virginia and is the lead ship of the Virginia class.