1. On September 12, 1606, the Virginia Company of London was granted a charter by King James I to establish a new English colony in North America, which would become known as Virginia. This marked the beginning of a significant chapter in Virginia's history, as well as the wider history of the United States.

2. In 1782, the Battle of the Saintes took place off the coast of Guadeloupe. This naval battle, which involved British and French fleets, was significant for Virginia because several Virginia ships were involved in the fighting. Captain Thomas Graves, who commanded the HMS London during the battle, was a native of Virginia.

3. On September 12, 1814, the British Army burned Washington, DC as part of its campaign during the War of 1812. While Virginia was not the primary target of the British campaign, the burning of the capital had significant political and symbolic implications for the Commonwealth and the wider United States.

4. In 1901, William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States, was shot by an assassin in Buffalo, New York. McKinley died of his wounds eight days later, on September 14. Virginia Governor Andrew Montague declared a day of mourning for McKinley and ordered that flags be flown at half-mast throughout the state.

5. Finally, on September 12, 2018, Virginia's Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that ordered the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from a public park in Richmond. The decision was significant for Virginia because it reflected ongoing discussions about the role of Confederate symbols in the state's history and public spaces.