1. In 1867, the West Virginia Legislature passed a bill providing for a state board of education, thus creating the modern educational system in the state.

2. On January 8, 1889, the Mountain State Business College was founded in Parkersburg, West Virginia, offering courses in business, shorthand, and typing.

3. The year 1947 saw the first women's intercollegiate basketball game in West Virginia history taking place on January 8. The contest was between West Virginia University and Marietta College.

4. In 1968, Mountaineer Field, the on-campus stadium for the West Virginia University Mountaineers football team, hosted its first game in Morgantown on January 8.

5. On January 8, 1980, the town of Harpers Ferry was designated a National Historical Park by the U.S. Congress. The site, nestled at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, played a key role in the history of the Civil War.