Wednesday, October 29, 2025 Good Morning! On this day in 1693, the Accomack Storm struck the Delmarva shoreline. The event was noted in England. “There happened a most violent storm in Virginia which stopped the course of ancient channels and made some where there never were any,” a member of the Royal Society of London […]

Tuesday, October 28, 2025 Good Morning! On this day in 1864, the Battle of Boydton Plank Road near Petersburg ended. Although considered a tactical victory for the Union troops, the Confederate troops held their position, and both sides settled into winter quarters. In Et Cetera today, we preview the upcoming Ken Burns film about the […]

Monday, October 27, 2025 Good Morning! On this day in 1775, the first fighting in the Revolutionary War outside of Massachusetts occurred when British naval forces entered Hampton Harbor and were met by Patriot forces. The British were forced to retreat, and the Virginia freedom fighters suffered no casualties. The University of Virginia football team […]

Friday, October 24, 2025 Good Morning! On this day in 1861, residents of 39 counties in Western Virginia voted to form a new state that would remain in the federal union instead of joining the Confederacy. By February, delegates in Wheeling had moved to include the counties in the new state of West Virginia. We […]

Thursday, October 23, 2025 Good Morning! On this day in 1878, the Gale of ‘78 crossed eastern Virginia. Flooding completely submerged Cobb and Smith Islands, and 18 people were killed when the A.S. Davis went ashore near Virginia Beach. College sports are in flux. Here in the Commonwealth, Virginia Tech is looking for a new football […]

Wednesday, October 22, 2025 Good Morning! On this day in 1864, the Richmond Daily Dispatch provided details about the execution a day earlier of Ben and William, two slaves who were convicted of burglary. Several readers responded to our poll question about rallies and demonstrations in the Commonwealth. One noted that he “attended a rally featuring […]

Tuesday, October 21, 2025 Good Morning! On this day in 1861, Union troops were routed by Confederates at the Battle of Ball’s Bluff in Loudoun County. Col. Edward Baker, a sitting U.S. Senator, was killed in the fighting, the only active American lawmaker ever killed on the battlefield. Although Virginia Tech football is limping along […]

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. […]