Topics Related to This Day in North Carolina History

Bull Rider Jerome Davis

Jerome Davis put North Carolina on the bull riding and rodeo map, becoming a competitive bull rider at age 11 and going on to win his first event as a freshman in high school. After many championships, Davis was paralyzed from the chest down after being thrown from a bull.

Winston-Salem Pacesetter for Arts Councils

On August 9, 1949, the first locally-established arts council in the United States was formed in Winston-Salem.

State’s First Newspaper Issued in New Bern, 1751

An August 1751 edition of the

Pisgah Covered Bridge Rebuilt After Flood

On August 9, 2003, a flood washed away the Pisgah Covered Bridge. Since rebuilt, the Pisgah Covered Bridge is the only surviving covered bridge in Randolph County, which once had more covered bridges than any other county in North Carolina.

Clyde McPhatter of Durham, Influential Rhythm and Blues Performer

Clyde McPhatter of Durham

Second Governor Post-Statehood, Abner Nash

On August 8, 1740, politician and zealous advocate for the Patriot cause Abner Nash was born.

Mary Reynolds Babcock, Patron of the Arts and Education

Mary Reynol

Rocky Mount Man Inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame

On August 7, 1972, Negro League ballplayer and Rocky Mount native Walter Fenner “Buck” Leonard was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Kiffin Rockwell of the Lafayette Escadrille

Kiffin Rockwell became one of the first Americans to join the Lafayette Escadrille, an American volunteer aerial combat squadron. In May 1916, Rockwell became the first American to shoot down an enemy plane. He was one of only four North Carolinians who flew for France in World War I.

Fred Kirby, Mojo Nixon, and “Atomic Power”

On August 7, 1945, country singer and WBT radio personality Fred Kirby of Charlotte wrote the hit song “Atomic Power.” Kirby was so moved by the news of the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima the previous day that he was inspired to write the song