1. In 1775, Virginian colonial leaders met at St. John's Church in Richmond to discuss the possibility of forming a continental army to resist British rule. This meeting is considered a precursor to the Revolutionary War.

2. On July 10, 1802, founding father Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to the Newport Hebrew Congregation in Rhode Island, expressing his support for religious freedom and tolerance. This letter is now considered a cornerstone of the United States' commitment to religious liberty.

3. In 1896, the United States Supreme Court handed down its ruling in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson, which upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws. The decision had a profound impact on Virginia, which had instituted "Jim Crow" laws that enforced segregation and discrimination against African Americans.

4. In 1964, civil rights activist and Virginia native Barbara Johns died at the young age of 34. Johns was a leading figure in the fight against segregation and school discrimination in Virginia, and helped organize a student strike at her all-black high school in 1951 that eventually led to a landmark Supreme Court decision.

5. On July 10, 2018, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced that Amazon had chosen the state as the site of its second headquarters, known as HQ2. The decision sparked excitement and controversy across the state, with some celebrating the economic boost the company could bring and others concerned about the impact on housing costs and transportation infrastructure.