1. In 1861, the First Battle of Manassas (also known as the First Battle of Bull Run) was fought on July 21, 1861, but it was on July 27 that the Confederate Army officially withdrew from the battlefield. This marked a key victory for the Confederacy early in the Civil War.

2. In 1929, Virginia became the first state to sell lottery tickets. The Virginia Lottery has since raised billions of dollars for education and other state programs.

3. In 1974, the city of Roanoke suffered a catastrophic flood on July 27, causing extensive damage and claiming 4 lives. The event led to significant improvements in the city's flood control infrastructure.

4. In 2017, Virginia native and NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik launched into space as part of Expedition 52 to the International Space Station. He would spend 136 days in orbit before returning to Earth in December of that year.

5. On July 27, 2019, Virginia Democrats won control of both the state Senate and House of Delegates, marking the first time since 1993 that the party had held a trifecta of power in Virginia's state government. This would later lead to significant reforms in areas such as gun control, voting rights, and criminal justice reform.