1. In 1785, the Virginia General Assembly established a new county named Monongalia, which included present-day Morgantown and surrounding areas in north-central West Virginia.

2. On November 17, 1863, Union General William W. Averell led a raid into southwestern Virginia during the Civil War. The raid resulted in the destruction of a Confederate supply train and a significant blow to the morale of Confederate troops in the area.

3. On November 17, 1909, the first state forestry school in the United States was established at West Virginia University. The school was founded to address the rapid depletion of West Virginia's forests due to over-logging and other factors.

4. On November 17, 1958, the Silver Bridge collapsed in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, killing 46 people. The bridge had been built in 1928 and was a major transportation link between Ohio and West Virginia. The cause of the collapse was later determined to be a structural defect that had gone unnoticed during inspections.

5. On November 17, 1970, the Marshall University football team was traveling back to Huntington, West Virginia, after a game when their plane crashed near the Tri-State Airport. The crash killed all 75 people on board, including players, coaches, and staff members. The tragedy is still remembered as one of the worst disasters in American sports history.