Monday, November 18, 2024 Good morning! On this day in 1618, the two leading officers of the Virginia Company of London sent instructions to the colony’s new governor, Sir George Yeardley. The document became known as the “Great Charter.” It allowed colonists to establish a general assembly, the first representative legislative body in the Western hemisphere. Those […]

Friday, November 15, 2024 Good morning! On this day in 1860, Virginia Gov. John Letcher responded to Abraham Lincoln’s election as president by summoning a special session of the General Assembly to be held on January 7, 1861. The session eventually led to Virginians voting to leave the Union and join the Confederacy. Are you […]

Thursday, November 14, 2024 Good morning! On this day in 1910, Eugene Ely made the first flight from the deck of a Navy ship. There were no aircraft carriers, of course. However, the light cruiser USS Birmingham was retrofitted in Norfolk with an 80-foot-long wooden platform to serve as a runway. Ely took off, skipped […]

Wednesday, November 13, 2024 Good morning. On this day in 2022, University of Virginia football players Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D’Sean Perry were killed when a fellow student opened fire on a school-chartered bus that was returning to campus after a field trip. Two other students were wounded. The alleged shooter will go […]

Tuesday, November 12, 2024 Good morning! On this day in 1792, the Virginia General Assembly established the town of Centreville, roughly 20 miles west of Washington D.C. Decades later, a writer claimed that its name derived “from its central position, being about equidistant from Leesburg, Middleburg, Warrenton, Washington, Georgetown, and Alexandria.”  Welcome to The Virginia […]

Monday, November 11, 2024 Happy Veterans Day! On this day in 1921, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was dedicated at Arlington National Cemetery. The inscription reads: “Here rests in honored glory an American Soldier, Known but to God.” Today, the Tomb contains the remains of three unidentified service members.   The Virginia Flyover wants to […]

Friday, November 8, 2024 Good morning! On this day in 1788, Virginia’s General Assembly chose Richard Henry Lee and William Grayson to serve as the state’s first two senators. Both men were antifederalists, meaning they had reservations about the recently ratified U.S. Constitution. Welcome to The Virginia Flyover, where we bring you the latest news […]

Thursday, November 7, 2024 Good morning! On this day in 1989, L. Douglas Wilder was elected governor of Virginia. He earned a narrow victory over Republican Marshal Coleman. The Richmond-born Wilder was the first African American governor in U.S. history.  Welcome to The Virginia Flyover. A busy week in our Commonwealth continues as we bring […]

Tuesday, November 5, 2024 Good morning! Happy Election Day! On this day in 1912, Virginia-born presidential candidate Woodrow Wilson gathered 6.2 million votes nationwide. That was 41 percent of the popular vote, enough to win him the Electoral College in a three-way race with incumbent William Howard Taft and former President Teddy Roosevelt. Welcome to […]

Monday, November 4, 2024 Good morning! On this day in 1985, the remnants of Tropical Storm Juan swept across the western reaches of Virginia, dumping more than 19 inches of rain near Montebello in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The storm killed 62 people in several states.  This fall, Virginia is recovering from another storm. More […]