Monday, October 20, 2025 Good Morning! On this day in 1924, Ensign Henry Clay Drexler and Boatswain’s Mate First Class George Robert Cholister lost their lives as they attempted to prevent an explosion on the light cruiser USS Trenton off Norfolk. They were awarded the Medal of Honor. Celebrities and politicians are weighing in with endorsements […]

Friday, October 17, 2025 Good Morning! On this day in 1781, an officer with a white flag and a drummer beating a parley emerged from the British lines at Yorktown. The besieged Lord Charles Cornwallis formally asked General George Washington to offer him terms for surrender. Just two days later, Cornwallis signed the final Articles […]

Thursday, October 16, 2025 Good Morning! On this day in 1859, abolitionist John Brown launched an unsuccessful raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in what was then Virginia. Brown and his party surrendered 36 hours later to federal marines led by Robert E. Lee and J. E. B. Stuart. Brown was executed on December 2. […]

Wednesday, October 15, 2025 Good Morning! On this day in 1850, the Virginia Constitutional Convention convened in Richmond. The new constitution, which was adopted the following year, allowed all white men in the Commonwealth to vote. It also permitted voters to elect most public officials, including the governor. Hikers know Virginia has what may be the […]

Tuesday, October 14, 2025 Good Morning! On this day in 2019, the Virginia Women’s Monument Commission dedicated Voices from the Garden, an installation of seven statues on the grounds of the state capitol. It now includes 12 statues. The memorial honors women who have shaped life in the Commonwealth, including first lady Martha Washington, Pamunkey chieftain […]

Monday, October 13, 2025 Good Morning! On this day in 1670, the General Assembly passed a law that attempted to define the distinction between an indentured servant and a slave. Under the policy, non-Christians brought to Virginia could be enslaved for life, while Christians would be freed from servitude at age 30 or after 12 […]

Friday, October 10, 2025 Good Morning! On this day in 1774, the Battle of Point Pleasant pitted Virginia settlers against members of the Shawnee and Mingo tribes over land west of the Appalachian Mountains. The settlers won the fight and forced the tribes to retreat westward. Last night, Norfolk State hosted the only debate of […]

Thursday, October 9, 2025 Good Morning! On this day in 1781, George Washington fired the first American gun at the Battle of Yorktown after his forces finished setting up their artillery batteries. The Americans and French maintained bombardments until the British surrendered on Oct. 19. Many readers of The Virginia Flyover didn’t mince words about […]

Wednesday, October 8, 2025 Good Morning! On this day in 1869, the General Assembly ratified the 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, four and a half years after Robert E. Lee’s surrender marked the end of the Civil War in Virginia. The Commonwealth was readmitted to the Union the following year. More than […]

Tuesday, October 7, 2025 Good Morning! On this day in 1763, King George III issued a proclamation instructing American colonists not to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains. The goal was to protect the British system of mercantilism and prevent run-ins with Native Americans.  In Henry County recently, a man who’d lost money playing a […]