Paul "Hardrock" Simpson of Burlington lived his life in the fast lane, and never passed up an opportunity to jog.
The Sky is Her Limit
The first woman to earn an engineering degree from NC State, Katharine Stinson rose to an amazing career as a flight engineer.
The Insurance Company That Powered Durham’s Black Wall Street
North Carolina Mutual was founded by a formerly enslaved man. By serving a community that had been ignored, it helped its hometown thrive.
North Carolina’s 8-Year-Old First Lady
Nearly a century ago, our state's new governor was a widower. So his daughter stepped in to a big role.
The Masters and the Man from Morganton
In 1954, Billy Joe Patton, an amateur golfer from North Carolina, qualified for the sport's most storied tournament. He almost won.
The Legend of Ocracoke’s Old Quork
In Ocracoke lore, a hermit-like fisherman named Old Quork supposedly went fishing on March 16 and never returned. Sailors, be warned.
Artist Selma Burke’s 1943 Presidential Portrait Might’ve Inspired Dime Design
In 1943, Franklin D. Roosevelt sat for a portrait by a young African-American artist from Mooresville. Decades later, historians still want to know whether Selma Burke’s sculpture inspired the image on the dime.
Wilson, 1952: Happy Feet
The 1950s hit song “Chattanooga Shoeshine Boy” by Red Foley inspired Wilson’s shoeshining competition and Curtis Phillips’s smooth moves.