1. On May 15, 1771, the Battle of Alamance took place in what is now Alamance County. The battle was a confrontation between armed rebels and royal troops of the British governor, William Tryon. The rebels, known as Regulators, were protesting high taxes and corrupt officials.

2. The first public university in the United States, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was chartered on May 15, 1789. Today, the university is one of the top public universities in the country and boasts a prestigious faculty and diverse student body.

3. On May 15, 1917, the Negro State Fair of North Carolina was held in Raleigh, marking an important moment in the history of African American culture in the state. The fair featured exhibits on black history and culture, as well as agricultural and industrial displays.

4. Baseball great Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run on May 15, 1914, in a game against the Charlotte Hornets. The home run occurred during Ruth's stint with the Baltimore Orioles, before he became a legend with the New York Yankees.

5. May 15, 1961, marked the first Freedom Riders bus trip through North Carolina. The Freedom Riders were a group of civil rights activists who rode buses through the South to challenge segregation laws. The trip through North Carolina was met with violence and arrests, but it helped galvanize the civil rights movement.