In 1969, North Carolina bounds onto the national court: Fans across the Piedmont rally to support the state’s first pro basketball team, the Carolina Cougars.
north carolina history
The 1960s: The Great Blizzard of 1960
The decade blows in with a series of winter storms that threaten to incapacitate the High Country. But residents are resilient — and the rest of the state mobilizes to help.
The 1960s: A Dynamic Decade
Momentum has been building, and by the early 1960s, the payoff is clear: Now in the national spotlight, North Carolina enters an era of action and activism.
If You Give a Kid a Goat Cart
A discovery of archival photographs begged the question: Did everyone have a goat cart in the 1930s?
The 1950s: The Squire of Haw River
How a dairy farmer from Alamance County ascended the political ladder to become governor, then senator — never forgetting his rural roots along the way.
Space Seeds: Moon Trees in Western North Carolina
Back in 1971, astronaut and former U.S. Forest Service smoke jumper Stuart Roosa carried more than 400 seeds into space with him on Apollo 14. Two of those seeds found a new home in North Carolina.
The 1950s: The Art of the Impossible
North Carolina’s investment in a public art collection opens minds, enriches the lives of citizens, and creates a home for the state’s cultural aspirations.
Fergus’ Ark vs. USS North Carolina
On October 2, 1961, the USS North Carolina hit Fergus’ Ark seafood restaurant while docking in Wilmington.
The 1950s: The Shape of Things to Come
Three universities, dozens of movers and shakers, one singular vision: Research Triangle Park charts a new course for North Carolina, proving that a simple idea can become a grand reality.