1. In 1783, the first recorded hot-air balloon flight in South Carolina took place in Charleston. The balloon, called the "Charleston Belle", was launched by a Frenchman named Jean-Pierre Blanchard.

2. On July 28, 1858, a famous duel was fought on Sullivan's Island between William Porcher Miles, a South Carolina politician and secessionist, and Langdon Cheves, a lawyer and former U.S. Congressman. Miles was wounded in the duel but survived.

3. In 1868, the South Carolina Constitutional Convention, which was tasked with writing a new state constitution following the Civil War, met for the first time in Charleston. The convention ultimately created a constitution that provided for equal rights for all citizens, including African Americans.

4. On July 28, 1947, the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort was officially activated. The air station, which is still in operation today, has been used for training Marines and also played a role in the Cold War.

5. In 1965, a group of civil rights protesters, including the legendary activist Fannie Lou Hamer, were arrested in Winona, Mississippi while on their way to a voter registration training workshop in South Carolina. The incident, which became known as the "Freedom Summer Murders", garnered national attention and helped to galvanize the civil rights movement.