Topics Related to This Day in North Carolina History

Bewitched in Tennessee

On December 20, 1820, Tennessee farmer and Edgecombe County native John Bell died at his home in Robertson County, Tennessee. Decades later, Bell’s demise was attributed to the “Bell Witch,” a poltergeist that allegedly tormented the family between 1817 and 1821.

Depression-Era Gubernatorial Imperative: “Live at Home”

On December 19, 1929, Governor O. Max Gardner sponsored a “Live at Home” dinner. The purpose of the special meal, the signature event of Live at Home Week, was to “emphasize North Carolina products and industries.”

A North Carolina Valley Forge Story

On December 19, 1777, the Continental Army, including the North Carolina Brigade, entered winter encampment at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

John Wright Stanly of New Bern, Debtor to Financier

On December 18, 1742, John Wright Stanly was born.

“Cherokee Clay” and Wedgwood Pottery

On December 18, 1767, an agent of England’s Wedgwood potteries finished extracting several tons of fine white clay from the mountains of North Carolina.

The Declaration of Rights: Milestone at Halifax, 1776

On December 17, 1776, the Fifth Provincial Congress at Halifax issued the North Carolina Declaration of Rights.

John White, Vance’s Envoy to England

On December 17, 1894, John White, who during the Civil War purchased supplies for North Carolina in England, died of a stroke.

First Powered Flight

On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright made their first successful powered flight in a heavier-than-air craft.

Three Sheets to the Wind: On Flight They’re Dubious

On December 16, 1959, the Man Will Never Fly Memorial Society was formed in Kitty Hawk.  With a motto of “Birds Fly—Men Drink”, the society continues to party each year from the afternoon of December 16 until 10:45 a. m.

The Light at Cape Hatteras

On December 16, 1870, the specially-designed Fresnel lens of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was lit to mark Diamond Shoals.