1. In 1770, the first permanent settlement in modern-day West Virginia was established at present-day Shepherdstown, originally called Mecklenburg.

2. On January 27, 1921, the West Virginia State Capitol Building in Charleston was destroyed by a fire. The current building was constructed on the same site and dedicated in 1932.

3. The Battle of Mill Springs, also known as the Battle of Fishing Creek, took place on January 19-20, 1862, in Kentucky, but had significant West Virginia connections. Several units from present-day West Virginia fought on both sides, and Union Brig. Gen. James A. Garfield (later U.S. President) played a key role in the Union victory.

4. On January 27, 1944, the U.S. Army Air Corps' 359th Fighter Group was activated at Westover Field in Massachusetts. Part of the Eighth Air Force, the group included many West Virginians and flew missions over Europe in World War II.

5. In 1905, the Lewisburg-Maxwelton trolley line opened in Greenbrier County, the only electric trolley line in the state. It was powered by hydroelectricity from the Greenbrier River and operated until 1931.