1946-1990

Timeline

Environment

Ben Cone, Jr., and the Endangered Species Act

1946-1990

One of the species that the Endangered Species Act was supposed to protect was the red-cockaded woodpecker. But the law's negative incentives led Ben Cone, Jr., to cut down trees that might harbor the woodpecker.

Colleges and Universities

UNC School of the Arts

1946-1990

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is an arts school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Its courses include dance, design and production, drama, filmmaking, and music. The school was established in 1963 when Governor Terry Sanford and writer John Erle worked together to create the first public arts conservatory in the United States.

Early America

Catawba Indians

1664-1775

Once an eminent Siouan tribe that thrived in the middle Carolinas, the Catawba Nation first encountered white settlers through the fur trade. Both war and European disease proved fatal to the Catawba, and by 1760, only 1,000 tribe members survived. The tribe, now numbering over 2,800 members, gained full federal recognition in 1993, and they live on a reservation near Rock Hill, South Carolina.

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University (NC A&T)

1866-1915

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, more commonly known as NC A&T, is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in the country, with 13,885 students in the fall of 2023.

University of North Carolina at Asheville

1916-1945

The University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNC-Asheville) was founded in 1927 as Buncombe County Junior College. The junior college was tuition-free until the Great Depression forced the school to begin charging for admission.

Commentary
Agriculture

Hog Farming in North Carolina: Its Importance, History, and Controversy

1664-1775

Hog farming is integral to the North Carolina economy. The industry brings in around $10 billion in economic output each year for the state and generates over 40,000 jobs. But hog waste is a significant problem.

Agriculture

Gristmills: North Carolina’s First Public Utilities

1664-1775

Gristmills—mills that use water power to grind corn and wheat into flour—were a “familiar feature of the 19th century countryside,“ wrote Grimsley T. Hobbs in 1985. They were also North Carolina's first public utilities.

African American

Sweet Potatoes in North Carolina History

1664-1775

North Carolina produces more sweet potatoes than any other state in the United States and has been a leader since 1971.[1] In 2021 its production represented 64 percent of total U.S. production.[2] The potatoes are grown primarily in central and eastern North Carolina. The largest producers are currently the counties of Sampson, Nash, Wilson, and...

Sports and Entertainment

Clogging: North Carolina’s Official Folk Dance

1664-1775

Clogging is the official folk dance of North Carolina (declared so by the state legislature in 2005).[1] It is a style of dancing that originated in the Appalachian mountains, so North Carolina shares it with other states such as Tennessse and Virginia. All clog dancing involves “fancy footwork”—there are many variations on stepping, shuffling, sidestepping,...

Political History

North Carolina Constitution Is an Important Governing Document

1776-1835

I often have wondered how many North Carolinians have taken the time to study or at least generally refer to the North Carolina Constitution. Most likely, more than a few from the Old North State would be surprised to learn that such a document exists. In this regard, North Carolinians probably are not alone. Most...

Commentary
Sports and Entertainment

Southern Culture’s Multiracial Mix Affects American Music

1946-1990

North Carolinians, and their Southern counterparts, have contributed much to the American music scene.

New Deal/ Great Depression

Journey for Joedel (1970)

1916-1945

Although a movie was based on his The Ballad of the Flim-Flam Man, Guy Owen considered Journey for Joedel his best novel. For it, he won the Sir Walter Raleigh Award and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. The esteemed novelist Walker Percy described Journey for Joedel as “touching, tender, and highly readable.”