2 February 1872
Capitol Disaster

On this day Senate Bill 146 was read before the Senate for the first time. The bill, which was passed several days later, called for an appropriation to be made for repairs to the capitol building in the aftermath of the great "Capitol Disaster" of 1870. [Full article]

3 February 1858
Washington Equestrian Monument

On this day the Senate voted on a bill to appropriate additional money for an equestrian statue of George Washington. [Full article]

4 February 1901
John Marshall Day

John Marshall served in the Virginia General Assembly, in the United States Congress, and as secretary of state under John Adams, before accepting the role of chief justice of the Supreme Court in 1801. [Full article]

5 February 1901
Jamestown Exposition

The Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition of 1907 brought thousands of people to the state and drew worldwide attention to the commonwealth. [Full article]

6 February 1808
Anna Maria Lane, Revolutionary War Soldier

On this day the General Assembly approved a pension for Anna Maria Lane, the state's only known female veteran of the American Revolution. [Full article]

9 February 1901
Virginia/North Carolina Boundary

On this day a centuries-old dispute between Virginia and Tennessee ended. [Full article]

10 February 1966
Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission

On this day Senate Bill 108 was introduced and read for the first time in the House of Delegates. Recognizing Virginia's valuable historical resources, this legislation sought to protect, preserve, and promote the irreplaceable, tangible heritage of the commonwealth. [Full article]

11 February 1832
Smallpox Vaccine

On this day the General Assembly passed an act authorizing the governor to supply citizens of the commonwealth with free doses of the smallpox vaccine and directions on how to use it. [Full article]

12 February 1772
Public Hospital for Persons of Insane and Disordered Minds

On this day the General Assembly passed an act authorizing more funding for the Public Hospital for Persons of Insane and Disordered Minds, the first public institution in America to care exclusively for the mentally ill. [Full article]

13 February 1861
Secession

On this day the Virginia secession convention assembled in Richmond. Called for by a special session of the General Assembly, the group convened to determine whether Virginia should secede from the Union. [Full article]

14 February 1956
State Emblems

By this day the House of Delegates had aproved House Joint Resolution No. 6, establishing the dogwood as the official tree of Virginia. [Full article]

15 February 1928
Cape Henry

On this day a bill to create the Cape Henry Memorial Commission was read a second and third time by the Senate. [Full article]

16 February 1901
Virginia's Constitutional Convention of 1901-1902

On this day the General Assembly passed an act calling for the election of delegates to serve in Virginia's fifth constitutional convention. The new constitution became law on 10 July 1902. [Full article]

17 February 1827
Divorce

Until 1827, and for many years thereafter, Virginians encountered sizable obstacles to ending a marriage. Hostility to divorce had its roots in the Anglican prohibition, which persisted after the Revolution, and divorce remained an anomaly in the Old Dominion.
[Full article]

18 February 1920
Woman's Suffrage Act

On this day the Woman's Suffrage Act was presented and referred to the Senate. Ironically, a week earlier, the General Assembly had rejected the "proposed [nineteenth] amendment to the Constitution of the United States on woman suffrage." [Full article]

19 February 1914
Direct Election of U.S. Senators

On this day legislation was introduced in the House of Delegates calling for the direct election of United States senators by the voters of Virginia. [Full article]

20 February 1847
Mexican War

On this day a resolution passed by the General Assembly one week earlier that praised the president of the United States for America's action in the Mexican War was "read and laid upon the table." [Full article]

23 February 1934
Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control

On this day the speaker of the house signed a bill to create the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. The ABC became responsible for the distribution and sale of hard liquor and issued licenses for the sale of wine and beer. [Full article]

24 February 1973
Peter Francisco Day

On this day the Senate concurred with a resolution declaring March fifteenth of each year to be Peter Francisco Day. Francisco's (c.1760–1831) fame has dimmed in recent years, but he once was as well known as Davy Crockett or Daniel Boone. [Full article]

25 February 1948
Virginia Peanut Board

On this day the House of Delegates read by title a second time a bill to create the Virginia Peanut Commission within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Known today as the Virginia Peanut Board, its members represent the peanut-producing areas of the state, primarily southside Virginia. [Full article]

26 February 1884
State Female Normal School

On this day the Senate approved an act providing for the establishment of a State Female Normal School in Farmville. [Full article]

27 February 1932
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

On this day the General Assembly passed legislation authorizing the governor of the commonwealth to accept a gift of $100,000 from Judge John Barton Payne to be used in the construction of a state art museum. [Full article]