1. On February 19, 1865, Union General William T. Sherman led his troops into Fayetteville, NC, marking a crucial turning point in the Civil War. The fall of Fayetteville gave the Union Army access to vital resources and allowed them to march towards their final destination of Raleigh.

2. The first elected African American mayor in North Carolina history, Charles E. Lamb, was born on February 19, 1900, in Rocky Mount. Lamb served as Mayor of Tarboro, NC from 1953-1963 and was a prominent civil rights leader in the state.

3. In 1960, The Charlotte Observer newspaper published an investigative piece on illegal gambling in North Carolina, which led to the state's first organized crime raid on February 19th of that year. The investigation resulted in arrests of over 100 people and the confiscation of thousands of dollars in illegal gambling equipment.

4. On February 19, 1983, Hurricane Iwa made landfall on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, causing widespread damage and flooding. The storm caused millions of dollars in damage and was the strongest hurricane to hit the region in over a decade.

5. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's basketball team broke several records on February 19, 2000, with a 97-68 victory over Clemson. The win marked the team's 17th straight win and set a new school record for most consecutive victories. Additionally, the team set a new ACC record for most consecutive conference wins with 17.