1. The first permanent English settlement in present-day West Virginia was established on May 23, 1727, at present-day Shepherdstown, by Thomas Shepherd.

2. On May 23, 1861, the Virginia state convention voted to secede from the Union, which led to the creation of the separate state of West Virginia in 1863.

3. Bethany College, the oldest continuously operating college in West Virginia, was founded on May 23, 1840, in Bethany.

4. On May 23, 1938, the New River Gorge Bridge was opened to traffic, connecting Fayetteville and Lansing and becoming an engineering marvel of its time.

5. The first woman elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates, Elizabeth Kee, took office on May 23, 1929, and went on to become the first woman elected to the United States Congress from West Virginia.