1584    Sir Walter Raleigh establishes the first English colony on Roanoke Island, old Virginia (now North Carolina).

1587    Colony of Roanoke: a second group of English settlers arrives on Roanoke Island off North Carolina to re-establish the deserted colony.

1718    Off the coast of North Carolina, British pirate Edward Teach (best known as "Blackbeard") is killed in battle with a boarding party led by Lieutenant Robert Maynard.

1784    Western North Carolina (now eastern Tennessee) declares itself an independent state under the name of Franklin; it wasn’t accepted into the United States, and only lasted for four years.

1789    North Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution and is admitted as the 12th U.S. state.

1857    The SS Central America sinks about 160 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, drowning a total of 426 passengers and crew, including Captain William Lewis Herndon. The ship was carrying 13–15 tons of gold from the San Francisco Gold Rush.

1859    The current Cape Lookout, North Carolina, lighthouse is lit for the first time. Its first-order Fresnel lens can be seen for about 19 miles (30 kilometers), in good conditions.

1861    Union forces attack Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

1861    American Civil War: US Navy squadron captures forts at Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina.

1871    In North Carolina, William Woods Holden becomes the first governor of a U.S. state to be removed from office by impeachment.

1974    Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 crashes in Charlotte, North Carolina, killing 69 passengers and two crew.

1987    A robot probe finds the wreckage of the {{USS|Monitor}} near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.