1. In 1775, the First Virginia Convention met in Williamsburg and elected delegates to the Continental Congress, including three from present-day West Virginia, George Rogers Clark, Andrew Lewis, and Adam Stephen.

2. On April 18, 1861, Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee seized the U.S. Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, (now West Virginia) taking weapons and ammunition that would be used throughout the Civil War.

3. In 1906, the West Virginia legislature passed the Mine Inspection Act, which mandated regular inspections of coal mines and set standards for ventilation, lighting, and other safety measures, in response to numerous accidents and deaths in the state's mines.

4. On April 18, 1934, the U.S. Congress approved the creation of the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates all interstate communications by wire and radio, including television, telephony, and internet services.

5. In 2014, West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin signed a bill allowing the use of cannabis oil to treat epilepsy and other conditions, making the state one of the first in the nation to legalize medical marijuana.