1. On October 23, 1780, the Battle of Fishdam Ford was fought near the Broad River in South Carolina, but involved North Carolina troops. General Thomas Sumter and his Patriot forces defeated a British army led by Major William Wemyss. This battle helped turn the tide in the southern campaign of the Revolutionary War.

2. October 23, 1906 was the birthdate of violinist and conductor Charles Rufus Whalin, who was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. He performed with orchestras such as the Boston Symphony and the New York Philharmonic, and founded the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, which still exists today.

3. Durham, North Carolina made history on October 23, 1946 when the Durham Bulls baseball team played its first game as a member of the Tobacco State League. The team, which has inspired countless films and books, played at El Toro Park and won their first game 12-6 over the Raleigh Capitals.

4. In 1983, the North Carolina Courage women's professional soccer team was founded as the Carolina Courage, based in Charlotte. They went on to win the Women's United Soccer Association championship in 2002, and were revived in 2017 as the North Carolina Courage, based in Cary.

5. On October 23, 1989, basketball star Michael Jordan and his wife Juanita gave birth to their first child, a son named Jeffrey Michael Jordan, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jeffrey went on to play college basketball at the University of Central Florida, but did not pursue a professional career.