1. On May 2, 1775, the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was allegedly adopted in Charlotte, North Carolina. The document proclaimed the people of Mecklenburg County to be free and independent from Great Britain, making it one of the earliest known declarations of independence in the colonies.

2. On May 2, 1863, the Battle of Chancellorsville took place in Virginia during the American Civil War. Many soldiers from North Carolina fought in the battle, including General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, who was mortally wounded.

3. On May 2, 1933, North Carolina Governor O. Max Gardner signed the Rural Electrification Act, which provided funding for the expansion of electricity to rural areas throughout the United States. This act helped bring electricity to many parts of North Carolina that previously had no access to it.

4. On May 2, 1963, civil rights activists held a sit-in at the Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. The sit-in, which lasted for six months, was part of a larger movement to desegregate public accommodations across the South.

5. On May 2, 1986, the North Carolina Museum of Art opened its new building in Raleigh. The museum's collection includes more than 40,000 works of art, ranging from ancient artifacts to contemporary pieces.