On the cusp of a new decade, the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge is completed in Wilmington. The modern bridge is an icon of the fast-growing city, a connection to the rest of the state, and a promise of big things to come.
The 1960s: In the Spirit of Service
The Cherokee Boys Club transforms the lives of its members — and the community — with help from its manager. Although not a Cherokee by blood, his devotion earns him honorary status in the tribe.
The 1960s: The Concerts That Helped Desegregate ECU
Although slow to desegregate, one college shifts racial sentiments on campus not with court orders or violence — but through the power of music.
The 1960s: The Class Acts
In the 1960s, with the expansion of the Consolidated University of North Carolina and the state’s community college system, more North Carolinians than ever head to college classrooms.
The 1960s: The Fast Cars and Outlaw Heroes of NASCAR
Thanks to the grit of its drivers and the thrill of its events, the sport started by moonshiners shifts into high gear. Born on the dirt tracks of the North Carolina Piedmont, stock car racing becomes a national pastime.
The 1960s: The State of Literature
In the 1960s, a renewed focus on culture and education brings a burst of energy to the state’s literary scene: Writers sing North Carolina’s praises in poetry and prose.
The 1960s: How Cape Lookout Became a National Seashore
By 1965, the diamond-patterned lighthouse has helped keep seafarers safe for more than a century. Now, a new kind of coastal protection takes shape for the pristine stretch of the Outer Banks.
The 1960s: Close Call over Wayne County
On a quiet night in 1961, a plane from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base accidentally releases two thermonuclear bombs near Goldsboro. Only later do North Carolinians learn how close they came to the brink of disaster.
The 1960s: How a Silent Vigil Changed Duke University
As the nation mourns the loss of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., college students in Durham take action on campus.
