1. In 1777, Virginia Governor Patrick Henry issued a proclamation urging citizens to take up arms and defend the state against British invaders during the American Revolutionary War.

2. On October 17, 1863, Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart successfully ambushed Union cavalry at the Battle of Buckland Races in Fauquier County, earning a victory for the Confederacy during the Civil War.

3. The Virginia Military Institute was founded on October 17, 1839, in Lexington, Virginia. It remains one of the oldest military colleges in the United States.

4. On October 17, 1933, the state government of Virginia passed the "Racial Integrity Act," which banned interracial marriage and classified individuals as "white" or "colored" based on their ancestry. The law was not repealed until 1967.

5. In 1781, British General Charles Cornwallis surrendered to American and French forces at the Battle of Yorktown, Virginia, effectively ending the Revolutionary War. The surrender took place on October 17, but the official ceremony was held on October 19.