1. The first state flag of North Carolina was adopted on July 11, 1861, during the early months of the Civil War. It features the state seal on a blue background with a white star, surrounded by two bars of red.

2. On July 11, 1908, the Wright Brothers opened the first civilian flying school at the Huffman Prairie Flying Field near Dayton, Ohio. While not in North Carolina, this event is significant because Orville and Wilbur Wright were born and raised in the Tar Heel State.

3. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy visited the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on July 11 to speak at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Health Sciences Library. This was less than five months before his assassination in Dallas, Texas.

4. On July 11, 1976, the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro opened to the public for the very first time. Today, it spans over 2,000 acres and is home to over 1,800 animals representing more than 250 species.

5. In 2019, the City of Asheville officially adopted a reparations resolution on July 11, becoming the first city in the southern United States to do so. The resolution apologizes for the city's role in slavery and segregation, and commits to promoting policies and programs aimed at economic and racial equity.