1. On October 19, 1774, the North Carolina Provincial Congress met for the first time in New Bern, North Carolina. This meeting was one of the first steps in North Carolina's journey towards independence.

2. On October 19, 1960, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in Durham, North Carolina as part of his tour advocating for racial equality. His visit was met with both support and opposition, but ultimately contributed to North Carolina's Civil Rights Movement.

3. On October 19, 1986, Duke University announced plans to establish a tropical forest research center in Costa Rica. The center, named the Duke University Primate Center, conducts research on primates and their habitat in conjunction with the Costa Rican government.

4. On October 19, 1991, Hurricane Grace struck the coast of North Carolina with winds over 100 miles per hour. The storm caused significant damage to coastal communities, but also brought attention to the vulnerability of North Carolina's coast to severe weather.

5. On October 19, 2018, the North Carolina Department of Transportation announced plans to build a new bridge across the Pamlico Sound to replace the aging Herbert C. Bonner Bridge. The new bridge, named the Marc Basnight Bridge, was completed in 2019 and is the longest bridge in North Carolina.