1. On May 4, 1865, Union General William T. Sherman arrived in Raleigh, North Carolina, marking the end of the Civil War in the state. He met with Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston to negotiate the surrender of the remaining Confederate troops.

2. In 1916, the North Carolina Senate passed a bill establishing the state flag, which features a blue field with a white star and the letters “NC” above it. The bill was signed into law by Governor Locke Craig on May 4 of that year.

3. May 4, 1970 was also the date of the Kent State shootings, in which National Guardsmen opened fire on unarmed student protesters at Kent State University in Ohio. The incident sparked protests and demonstrations against the Vietnam War across the country, including in North Carolina.

4. On May 4, 1984, President Ronald Reagan visited Charlotte, North Carolina to speak at a campaign rally for Republican Senator Jesse Helms. An estimated 25,000 people attended the event, which was held at the Charlotte Coliseum.

5. In 2007, North Carolina became the first state to require all new licensed drivers under the age of 18 to complete a graduated driver's licensing program. The law, known as "Lacey's Law," was named in honor of Lacey Michelle Caudill, a 16-year-old from Davidson County who was killed in a car crash in 2006. The law went into effect on May 4, 2008.