1. Virginia became the 10th state of the United States on December 6, 1787. The Virginia Ratifying Convention had voted in favor of the new U.S. Constitution after a heated debate, with James Madison playing a key role in advocating for its adoption.

2. On December 6, 1830, Virginia native and statesman William Cabell Rives was appointed as U.S. Minister to France by President Andrew Jackson. Rives served as a senator from Virginia and played a significant role in debates over slavery and secession in the lead-up to the Civil War.

3. The Virginia Military Institute was founded on December 6, 1839 in Lexington, Virginia. The military college has produced many notable alumni, including Confederate General Stonewall Jackson and World War II General George C. Marshall.

4. The Battle of Franklin happened on December 6, 1864, during the American Civil War. Confederate forces under General John Bell Hood attacked Union forces under General John Schofield in a desperate attempt to stop General William T. Sherman's advance on Atlanta. The battle ended in a Union victory, but both sides suffered heavy casualties.

5. On December 6, 2019, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced a plan to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from its prominent location in Richmond, Virginia. The governor cited the need to confront Virginia's history of racism and white supremacy, and the statue has since been removed following a long legal battle.