1. On April 23, 1861, Charleston, South Carolina became the site of the first shots fired in the Civil War. Confederate forces fired upon the Union-held Fort Sumter, marking the beginning of a four-year conflict that would shape the course of American history.

2. On April 23, 1931, the Southern Textile Exposition opened its doors in Greenville, South Carolina. The event drew thousands of visitors from across the region and helped establish Greenville as a major hub for the textile industry.

3. April 23, 1954 saw the signing of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, which declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. The landmark ruling stemmed from a case brought by South Carolina native Harry Briggs, whose children were denied admission to a white school in Clarendon County.

4. On April 23, 2000, actress and singer Eartha Kitt was inducted into the South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame. Kitt, who was born on a cotton plantation near North, South Carolina, rose to prominence in the 1950s and 60s with her distinctive voice and magnetic stage presence.

5. April 23, 2018 marked the opening of the new International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. The museum chronicles the history and contributions of African Americans in the United States, with a particular focus on the role of Africans in the transatlantic slave trade and their enduring legacy in American culture.