1. On September 8, 1781, the Battle of Eutaw Springs took place in South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War. While Virginia troops were not directly involved in the battle, the outcome helped pave the way for a victory at Yorktown, where Virginia forces played a crucial role in defeating the British.

2. President James Monroe was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia on September 8, 1758. Monroe was the fifth president of the United States and is perhaps best known for establishing the Monroe Doctrine, which declared that the Americas were off-limits to European colonization.

3. On September 8, 1863, Union forces under General William Averell defeated Confederate forces at the Battle of Droop Mountain in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. The battle was a turning point in the West Virginia Campaign and helped secure Union control of the region.

4. The first African American woman to be crowned Miss America was Vanessa Williams, a native of Millwood, Virginia. Williams was crowned on September 8, 1983, but resigned less than a year later after a scandal involving the publication of nude photos of her.

5. On September 8, 2011, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck Virginia and was felt across much of the eastern United States. The quake was centered near Mineral, Virginia and caused some damage to buildings in the region, including the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.