1. On October 3, 1829, the University of Virginia officially opened its doors in Charlottesville. Founded by Thomas Jefferson, the university was the first nonsectarian and academically-oriented institution of higher learning in the United States.

2. On October 3, 1864, Union and Confederate forces clashed at the Battle of Saltville in southwest Virginia. The Confederates successfully defended the town and its valuable saltworks, but the Union army was able to destroy much of the salt production infrastructure in subsequent raids.

3. On October 3, 1935, tunnel construction began on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel project, which connected Virginia's Eastern Shore with the mainland. The bridge-tunnel, completed in 1964, was the world's longest at the time and greatly improved transportation and commerce in the region.

4. On October 3, 1951, the television show "The Roy Rogers Show" premiered on NBC. The show, starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, was filmed on location at their ranch in Chatsworth, Virginia and ran for six seasons.

5. On October 3, 2015, Virginia Tech defeated North Carolina State 28-13 in a football game commemorating the 10th anniversary of the mass shooting that took place on the Virginia Tech campus. The game was an emotional tribute to the victims and survivors of the tragedy.