1. In 1789, North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the United States Constitution, officially joining the newly formed nation. The state played an important role in the creation of the Constitution, sending delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

2. On December 11, 1862, the Battle of Kinston took place in Lenoir County during the American Civil War. Union forces under the command of Gen. John G. Foster engaged Confederate soldiers led by Gen. Nathan G. Evans, resulting in a Confederate victory.

3. In 1903, the Wright Brothers made their first powered flights in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. While their initial experiments took place on the sand dunes of Kill Devil Hills to the south, they chose Kitty Hawk as their base of operations due to its proximity to both the ocean and the village of Kitty Hawk.

4. On December 11, 1936, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was officially dedicated. The park spans over 522,000 acres across western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee and is home to a diverse range of wildlife and plant species. It is one of the most visited national parks in the United States.

5. In 2010, a massive snowstorm hit North Carolina, dumping up to 20 inches of snow in some areas of the state. The storm, which occurred just weeks before Christmas, caused widespread power outages and travel disruptions, leading to numerous school closures and event cancellations. It was one of the worst snowstorms to hit the state in decades.