1. On October 24, 1781, General George Washington arrived in Yorktown, Virginia, to witness the surrender of British General Charles Cornwallis, effectively ending the Revolutionary War.

2. In 1854, on this day, Virginia Military Institute was founded in Lexington, Virginia. The institute was established to train future military leaders and continues to operate as a public undergraduate college.

3. On October 24, 1861, Confederate soldiers under General J. E. B. Stuart and Union soldiers under George B. McClellan fought the Battle of Ball's Bluff near Leesburg, Virginia. The Confederate victory resulted in the death of over 200 Union soldiers and contributed to McClellan's eventual removal from command.

4. In 1905, on this day, the Great Appalachian Storm brought hurricane-force winds and heavy rain to Virginia and surrounding states, causing widespread damage and flooding.

5. On October 24, 1937, the Blue Ridge Parkway was officially dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Virginia. The parkway is a scenic drive through the Appalachian Mountains stretching from Virginia to North Carolina and is now a popular tourist attraction.