1. On June 15, 1752, North Carolina governor Gabriel Johnston died in his office. Johnston served as governor from 1734 until his death, and during his tenure, he established a postal service in the colony and worked to improve relations with Native American tribes.

2. In 1775, the Second Continental Congress appointed North Carolinian Richard Caswell as a brigadier general in the Continental Army. Caswell went on to serve in several major battles of the American Revolution, including the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in North Carolina.

3. On June 15, 1859, Thomas Lanier Clingman, a North Carolina politician and explorer, reached the summit of Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in the eastern United States. Clingman had previously served in the US Congress and the North Carolina Senate, and he later became a Confederate general during the Civil War.

4. In 1944, the US Army Air Forces activated the 5th Air Force at Morris Field in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 5th Air Force went on to play a major role in the Pacific Theater during World War II, participating in campaigns in New Guinea, the Philippines, and Japan.

5. On June 15, 1982, James "Bonecrusher" Smith, a native of Magnolia, North Carolina, became the first boxer from the state to win a world heavyweight champion title. Smith defeated Frank Bruno in a 12-round unanimous decision in Las Vegas, Nevada, to claim the WBA heavyweight championship.