1. In 1863, West Virginia became the 35th state to join the Union. Due to its strategic location on the border between the North and South during the Civil War, West Virginia was formed when several western counties of Virginia refused to secede from the Union.

2. On November 29, 1952, the Kanawha River Bridge in Charleston, West Virginia, collapsed due to structural problems and high winds. The disaster claimed the lives of 46 people and led to increased safety regulations for bridge construction.

3. West Virginia's most notable musician, John Denver, was born on November 29, 1943, in Roswell, New Mexico. Although he wasn't originally from West Virginia, he wrote and performed the song "Take Me Home, Country Roads," which has become an unofficial anthem for the state.

4. The Green Bank Telescope, located in Green Bank, West Virginia, was completed on November 29, 2000. At the time of its construction, it was the largest fully steerable radio telescope in the world and played a key role in research related to black holes, pulsars, and the origins of the universe.

5. On November 29, 1948, the devastating McDowell County Mine explosion occurred, killing 18 coal miners in southern West Virginia. The tragedy sparked calls for increased safety regulations in the state's coal mines.