1. On December 15, 1791, Virginia ratified the Bill of Rights, becoming the 10th state to do so. The Bill of Rights outlines the fundamental rights of United States citizens, including freedom of speech, religion, and the press.

2. In 1832, the Virginia Military Institute was founded in Lexington, Virginia. The institute was established to provide military training for young men in Virginia and remains a prestigious institution to this day.

3. On December 15, 1862, Confederate General Stonewall Jackson and his troops surprised and defeated Union forces at the Battle of Fredericksburg. The battle was one of the largest and deadliest of the American Civil War, resulting in over 12,000 Union casualties.

4. In 1975, John Paul Jones was interred at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Jones was a naval hero who served during the American Revolution and is considered one of America's founding fathers of the Navy. He was born in Scotland but lived in Virginia for much of his life.

5. On December 15, 2009, Virginia received over 20 inches of snow in a single day, causing widespread power outages and transportation disruptions. The event was dubbed "Snowpocalypse" and was one of the largest snowstorms in Virginia's history.