1. On May 23, 1788, South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify the United States Constitution, which had been proposed by the Constitutional Convention in 1787. South Carolina's ratification helped ensure that the new federal government would become a reality.

2. In 1862, during the American Civil War, Union troops under General David Hunter captured the city of Charleston, South Carolina. The city, which had been a center of Confederate activity, was occupied by Union forces for the rest of the war.

3. On May 23, 1934, infamous gangster John Dillinger and his gang robbed the First National Bank in Greencastle, Indiana. One of Dillinger's accomplices, Harry Pierpont, was from Muncie, Indiana, which is located just over the state line from Ohio. After the robbery, the gang drove to Ohio and were eventually captured by law enforcement.

4. In 1997, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the state's blue laws, which prohibited the sale of alcohol on Sundays, were unconstitutional. The ruling allowed restaurants and bars to sell alcohol on Sundays, ending a longstanding restriction on alcohol sales in the state.

5. On May 23, 2000, South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges signed a bill establishing the South Carolina State Museum as the state's official museum. The museum, located in Columbia, houses exhibits on South Carolina history, art, science, and technology. It also includes a planetarium, observatory, and a replica of a 19th century trading post.