1. In 1775, North Carolina Governor Josiah Martin fled his palace in New Bern as the American Revolution began. He later returned with British troops and attempted to regain control, but was defeated at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in February 1776.

2. The North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, the largest African-American-owned insurance company in the United States, was founded in Durham on April 18, 1898. It played a key role in providing financial security to black families during the Jim Crow era.

3. On April 18, 1918, the U.S. Army established Camp Bragg near Fayetteville as a training center for troops during World War I. The camp was later renamed Fort Bragg and is now one of the largest military installations in the world.

4. In 1942, the Doolittle Raid, a daring bombing mission against Tokyo, Japan, was launched from the USS Hornet aircraft carrier. Three of the 80 crew members on the mission were from North Carolina: Lt. Richard O. Joyce of Asheville, Lt. William G. Farrow of Spartanburg, and Lt. Robert M. Gray, who was born in North Carolina but raised in Texas.

5. On April 18, 1989, the deadliest tornado outbreak in North Carolina history occurred, killing 42 people and injuring more than 1,000. The storms affected 59 of the state's 100 counties and caused over $100 million in damages. The town of Oakboro, located in Stanly County, was particularly hard hit, with 15 deaths and extensive destruction.