 1641: The first European settlers arrive
1732: Shepherdstown becomes the first permanent settlement
1753: European settlers journey to the area in great numbers
1763: French loses continent and French and Indian War begins to end
1776: Residents petition the Continental Congress for separate statehood
1782: The Battle of Fort Henry in Wheeling: is called the "Last Battle of the Revolutionary War"
1836: First railroad arrives in Harpers Ferry
1859: Abolitionist John Brown stages raids on federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry
1861: West Virginia refuses to secede from the Union, and separates from Virginia
1863: West Virginia becomes the 35th U.S. State
1885: Capital moved to Charleston
1907: Mine explosion in Monongah kills 361
1921: Blair Mountain miners: labor dispute begins
1943: Large and valuable salt deposits found along the Ohio River valley
1960: John Kennedy wins presidential primary here, defeating Hubert Humphrey
1965: Capital punishment abolished in the state
(1966) Explosion at Siltix Mine killed seven
(1968) Piedmont Airlines crash at Kanawha County Airport killed 35; Farmington Mine explosions and fire killed 78
(1969) Former governor, W.W. Barron, sentenced to five years in prison for jury tampering; Coal Mine Health and Safety Act law enacted
(1970) Southern Airways plane crashed, 75 Marshall University football team players, coaches, department personnel killed
(1971) 40,000 miners ended 44-day coal strike
(1972) Coal waste dam collapsed at Buffalo Creek, killed 125
(1976) Wildcat mine strike began in Logan, spread to eight states
(1977) World's longest steel-arch bridge opened near Fayetteville (New River Gorge Bridge)
(1981) Miners ended 72-day strike; WVU Mountaineers won Peach Bowl
(1984) Mary Lou Retton of Fairmont first woman to win gold medal in gymnastics in Olympics
(1985) State lottery established; heavy flooding killed 71, damages of $1.2 billion
(1988) Oil spill pollutes Monongahela and Ohio Rivers
(1993) Blizzard paralyzed West Virginia
(1996) Coal industry set production record with 174 million tons
(2000 Peace talks between Israel and Syria held at Shepherdstown
(2001) Flooding wiped out several communities, many left homeless
(2006) 13 miners trapped in mine, one survived
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