1. In 1783, North Carolina was the first state to ratify the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the American Revolutionary War. This made North Carolina a vital contributor to the creation of the United States of America.

2. On November 2, 1867, the first train from Wilmington, North Carolina, arrived in Charlotte. This marked a major milestone for North Carolina's transportation infrastructure and helped connect the state's major cities.

3. In 1921, the first radio station in North Carolina, WBT, began broadcasting in Charlotte. This helped revolutionize communication in the state and led to the growth of the radio industry.

4. On November 2, 1970, North Carolina became the first state in the South to integrate its public schools. The decision by the United States Supreme Court in Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education required North Carolina to use busing to integrate its schools, which was met with controversy and resistance.

5. In 2004, North Carolina made history when it became the first state in the country to elect an African American woman, Beverly Perdue, as lieutenant governor. She was later elected as North Carolina's first female governor in 2008.