1. West Virginia became a state on June 20, 1863, during the Civil War, but its road to statehood began on June 15, 1861, when West Virginia seceded from Virginia. The people of the western part of Virginia were Union sympathizers, and when Virginia voted to secede and join the Confederacy, they refused to go along with it.

2. One of the most significant battles of the Civil War in West Virginia took place on June 15, 1864, at the Battle of Lynchburg. Confederate forces under General Jubal Early defended Lynchburg against Union forces led by General David Hunter. The Confederates won the battle, which was one of the last Confederate victories before the fall of the Confederacy.

3. On June 15, 1904, the first West Virginia state flag was adopted. The design features the state seal in the center, surrounded by a wreath of rhododendron, the state flower. The white field represents purity, and the blue border represents the Union.

4. June 15, 1917, was the birthdate of former West Virginia Governor Cecil H. Underwood. Underwood served two non-consecutive terms as governor, from 1957-1961 and from 1997-2001. He was the oldest person ever to be elected governor of West Virginia, winning his second term at the age of 74.

5. On June 15, 2006, the West Virginia Mine Safety Technology Task Force was established to improve mine safety in the state. The task force was formed in response to several mine accidents in West Virginia, including the Sago Mine disaster in 2006, which killed 12 miners. The task force made numerous recommendations for improving mine safety, including improving communication and tracking systems underground and increasing fines for safety violations.