1. In 1835, North Carolina Governor Richard Dobbs Spaight died while in office. He was the only governor in the state's history to be assassinated, and his death caused a period of turmoil in state politics.

2. On December 30, 1862, Confederate soldiers under General Robert E. Lee achieved a major victory against Union forces at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou in Mississippi. Many North Carolinians served in the Confederate army during the American Civil War.

3. In 1905, North Carolina became the first state in the US to adopt a statewide prohibition on alcohol sales. The law was not very effective, however, and was repealed in 1909.

4. On December 30, 1936, the novel "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell was first published. The book, which takes place in the South during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods, is set partially in Atlanta, which was an important city for North Carolina during the war.

5. In 1984, North Carolina State University won the Peach Bowl, defeating the University of Virginia by a score of 31-0. The game was played in Atlanta, and was the first bowl game win for the Wolfpack since 1967.