1. Birth of George Brett - Hall of fame baseball player George Brett was born on December 1, 1953 in Glen Dale, West Virginia. Brett played his entire 21-year career with the Kansas City Royals and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.

2. West Virginia becomes a state - On December 1, 1863, West Virginia officially became a state. During the Civil War, West Virginia became a loyal Union state and was admitted into the United States as the 35th state.

3. Marshall University football tragedy - On December 1, 1970, a plane carrying the Marshall University football team crashed, killing all 75 people on board. This tragedy is considered to be one of the worst disasters in the history of American sports.

4. John Brown captured - On December 1, 1859, abolitionist John Brown, along with a group of followers, was captured by United States Marines after a two-day siege at Harpers Ferry. Brown's raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry was an attempt to start a slave uprising, but it ultimately failed.

5. The Wheeling Convention - On December 1, 1860, the Wheeling Convention began in Wheeling, West Virginia. The convention was called to discuss the secession of Virginia and ultimately led to the formation of the state of West Virginia the following year.