1. In 1776, North Carolina state independence from the British Empire was declared by the Provincial Congress.

2. On March 31, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the Civil War. This event had a significant impact on North Carolina and the entire southern region.

3. In 1919, the North Carolina State Parks system was established. The first park to be established was Mount Mitchell State Park, named after the highest peak in the eastern United States.

4. The North Carolina Legislature established the Research Triangle Park on March 31, 1959. This park is now one of the largest research and development parks in the world, with over 260 companies and over 50,000 employees.

5. An important event in women's basketball history occurred on March 31, 1996, when the Rochester Rage faced off against the Raleigh Reign in the first Women's Professional Basketball League (WPBL) game. The WPBL was the first women's professional basketball league in the United States since the Women's Basketball League, which folded in 1981.