1. On May 13, 1607, the English explorer Captain John Smith arrived in Virginia with the first group of settlers from the Virginia Company of London. They founded the colony of Jamestown, which became the first permanent English settlement in America.

2. On May 13, 1775, the Virginia Convention in Williamsburg passed a resolution to raise a militia to defend the colony against British aggression. This action helped to ignite the American Revolution.

3. On May 13, 1861, Virginia seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy. The state played a significant role in the Civil War, with major battles fought in Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Petersburg.

4. On May 13, 1864, the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse began. It was part of General Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. The battle was one of the bloodiest of the Civil War, with casualties on both sides exceeding 30,000.

5. On May 13, 1958, the Virginia Civil Rights Commission was created by Governor Thomas B. Stanley to address issues of discrimination and segregation in the state. The commission played a key role in desegregating schools, housing, and public facilities in Virginia during the civil rights movement.