North Carolina Timeline of Events

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North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

Timeline of Events

1584

6.4.1584

Sir Walter Raleigh establishes the first English colony on Roanoke Island, old Virginia (now North Carolina).

1587

7.22.1587

Colony of Roanoke: a second group of English settlers arrives on Roanoke Island off North Carolina to re-establish the deserted colony.

1718

11.22.1718

Off the coast of North Carolina, British pirate Edward Teach (best known as "Blackbeard") is killed in battle with a boarding party led by Lieutenant Robert Maynard.

1784

8.23.1784

Western North Carolina (now eastern Tennessee) declares itself an independent state under the name of Franklin; it wasn’t accepted into the United States, and only lasted for four years.

1789

11.21.1789

North Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution and is admitted as the 12th U.S. state.

1857

9.12.1857

The SS Central America sinks about 160 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, drowning a total of 426 passengers and crew, including Captain William Lewis Herndon. The ship was carrying 13–15 tons of gold from the San Francisco Gold Rush.

1859

11.1.1859

The current Cape Lookout, North Carolina, lighthouse is lit for the first time. Its first-order Fresnel lens can be seen for about 19 miles (30 kilometers), in good conditions.

1861

8.27.1861

Union forces attack Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

8.29.1861

American Civil War: US Navy squadron captures forts at Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina.

1871

3.22.1871

In North Carolina, William Woods Holden becomes the first governor of a U.S. state to be removed from office by impeachment.

1974

9.11.1974

Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 crashes in Charlotte, North Carolina, killing 69 passengers and two crew.

1987

5.28.1987

A robot probe finds the wreckage of the USS Monitor near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.