1. In 1618, the Virginia Company of London issued instructions to its governor-in-chief, Sir George Yeardley, to summon a General Assembly of the Jamestown Colony. This marked the beginning of representative government in Virginia, making it the first English colony in America to have a functioning legislative body.

2. On October 30, 1735, the Virginia General Assembly passed the "Act concerning Servants and Slaves," which established a new code of laws regulating the treatment of enslaved people in the colony. The law increased the powers of slave owners over their human property, making it illegal for enslaved individuals to assemble without their master's permission and allowing for harsher punishments for disobedience.

3. In 1844, a train carrying former President John Quincy Adams derailed near Lynchburg, Virginia. Despite being in his 70s at the time, Adams emerged unscathed from the accident and continued his journey to Washington, D.C. on a different train the same day.

4. On October 30, 1909, Belle Boyd, a Confederate spy during the Civil War, died in Wisconsin. Boyd was born in Martinsburg, Virginia and became known for her daring exploits as a spy for the Confederacy, which included passing information to General Stonewall Jackson during the war.

5. In 1953, Vincent Gigante, a notorious Mafia boss, was arrested by the FBI in Norfolk, Virginia. Gigante, who was nicknamed "the Chin," was wanted for numerous crimes and was eventually convicted on multiple charges, including racketeering and murder. He died in federal prison in 2005.