1895: Caroline Baldwin became the first woman to earn a doctorate of science degree at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

1863: West Virginia became the thirty-fifth state in the Union. The land that formed the new state  formerly constituted part of Virginia. The two areas had diverged culturally from their first years of European settlement. Isolation because of rugged mountain terrain fostered distinctive and still-vibrant cultural traditions, including music, quilt-making, and furniture making. Today the state's many festivals and fairs celebrates these arts. (Source: Library of Congress)