1. The state of West Virginia was officially admitted to the Union on April 12, 1862. This came after a long and tumultuous process which saw the western counties of Virginia break away from the Confederate state during the Civil War.

2. In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt passed away on April 12. This event had a significant impact on the entire country, and particularly on West Virginia, which had been a hotbed of New Deal activity during Roosevelt's presidency.

3. On April 12, 1904, the city of Wheeling suffered a devastating fire which destroyed most of its downtown area. Despite the scale of the disaster, the city managed to rebuild and recover in the years that followed.

4. West Virginia native Jesse Winchester, a renowned singer-songwriter and musician, was born on April 12, 1944. Winchester's work was widely celebrated for its heartfelt and introspective lyrics, and he remains an important figure in American folk and country music to this day.

5. April 12, 2014 saw the West Virginia Mountaineers win the NCAA Gymnastics National Championship for the first time in school history. The team's victory was a major achievement for the program and a source of great pride for fans across the state.