1. On May 23, 1788, North Carolina became the twelfth state to ratify the United States Constitution, making it officially a part of the federal government.

2. In 1934, the first NASCAR race was held in Charlotte, North Carolina. The race was won by Jim Roper driving a Ford.

3. On May 23, 1900, the freighter SS Governor Ames collided with the steamship SS Washington in the Cape Fear River near Wilmington, North Carolina, causing the death of 23 people.

4. In 1960, civil rights activist and student leader Ella Baker held a conference in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she helped to launch the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

5. On May 23, 2002, North Carolina resident and environmentalist Julia Bonds was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for her efforts to protect the Appalachian Mountains from mountaintop removal mining.