1. On February 23, 1779, the Battle of Briar Creek was fought in Burke County, North Carolina during the American Revolutionary War. This battle resulted in a British victory and the retreat of 1,000 patriots.

2. The city of Fayetteville, North Carolina was incorporated on February 23, 1783. Originally named Campbellton, the city was the site of several significant events during the Revolutionary War.

3. On February 23, 1820, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill welcomed its first African American student, George Moses Horton. Despite being enslaved at the time, Horton taught himself to read and write and went on to become a respected poet.

4. The 13,000-ton battleship USS North Carolina was launched on February 23, 1940. The ship served in World War II and is now a museum in Wilmington, North Carolina.

5. On February 23, 1987, James "Catfish" Cole was executed by lethal injection in Raleigh, North Carolina. Cole was convicted of murder and became the first person to be executed by the state since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1977.