1. On July 11, 1861, the Battle of Rich Mountain took place in Randolph County, West Virginia. It was a significant Union victory during the early stages of the American Civil War and helped secure Union control of western Virginia.

2. The first newspaper in what is now West Virginia, the Potomak Guardian and Berkeley and Jefferson Advertiser, was published in Shepherdstown on July 11, 1792.

3. On July 11, 1910, the town of Bramwell in McDowell County became the first town in West Virginia to have electric street lights. It was a major achievement for the town, which was once one of the wealthiest in the United States due to its thriving coal industry.

4. In 1976, on July 11, the state of West Virginia celebrated the 113th anniversary of its statehood. The state was admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, during the midst of the Civil War.

5. On July 11, 2010, a mining accident occurred at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, causing the deaths of 29 miners. The disaster was the worst mining accident in the United States in over 40 years and led to renewed calls for improved safety measures in the mining industry.