1. On April 17, 1775, Colonel William Moultrie led a group of Patriots to capture Fort Johnson from the British in what is now Charleston. This was one of the first military actions of the American Revolution in the southern colonies.

2. In 1861, tensions between the Union and Confederacy were high in South Carolina. On April 17, Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, marking the start of the Civil War.

3. On April 17, 1895, John C. Calhoun’s statue was unveiled at the State Capitol in Columbia. Calhoun was a prominent politician from South Carolina who served as vice president under both John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson.

4. In 2015, eight former South Carolina police officers were sentenced for their involvement in a betting ring that fixed traffic tickets. The scheme involved officers issuing tickets to drivers who had not violated any laws, then splitting the profits from the fines and fees.

5. On April 17, 2019, the South Carolina Senate passed a bill allowing teachers to carry guns in schools. The controversial measure was opposed by many educators and parents, who argued that it would do little to prevent school shootings and could put students at risk.