1. In 1788, the Virginia General Assembly passed an act to establish a town named New Martinsville in present-day West Virginia.

2. On December 13, 1907, the worst mine disaster in U.S. history occurred at the Monongah coal mine in West Virginia. Over 360 miners were killed in the explosion and subsequent fire.

3. The West Virginia Legislature met for the first time in Charleston on December 13, 1885. Prior to that, the state capital had been located in Wheeling and later, in the town of Charleston.

4. On December 13, 1949, a Douglas DC-3 aircraft crashed in the mountains near Huntington, West Virginia killing all 19 passengers and crew members. The crash was caused by a combination of poor weather conditions and a navigation error.

5. The West Virginia State Police was established on December 13, 1919. Today, it is a multi-faceted law enforcement agency that serves the entire state of West Virginia.