North Carolina

1524 – Italian exploerer Giovanni da Verrazano arriving at Cape Fear, explores the Carolina coast for France.

1540 – Spanish explorer, Hernando de Soto explores the area in search of gold.

1567 – Spanish explorer Juan Pardo builds Fort San Juan in the native village of Joara, in what is now Burke County, North Carolina.

1584 – March 25 Queen Elizabeth I of England granted a charter to Sir Walter Raleigh to search and discover ‘remote and heathen lands’.

1584 – April 27 Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe reach Roanoke Island in July, claim the land and return to England in September.

1585 – Raleigh’s fleet of seven vessels under Sir Richard Grenville read Roanoke Island in June.

1586 – The colonists on Roanoke Island are forced to return to England due to hardships.

1587 – John White with 150 men, women and children found the City of Raleigh & establishes a second English colony at roanoke and becomes Governor.

1587 – August 18 – Elinor White Dare gave birth to a daughter, Virginia Dare, the first child born of English parents in the New World.

1587 – August 22 – John White returns to England for more supplies leaving the thriving colony. Seven Asssistants are left in charge with strict instructions that if the colonists should decide ot leave the fort, they would carve their destination on a tree and add a Maltese cross if they had to leave because of attack.

1590 – August 15 John White arrrives back to Roaoke to find that the settlers have all disappeared. The word “CROATOAN” is found carved into a tree without any crosses or signs of distress. The fate of “The Lost Colony” remains a mystery.

1602 – Sir Walter Raleigh sends samuel Mace of Weymouth on a voyage to Virginia (North Carolina) to explore and search for survivors of the Lost Colony.

1609 – Henry Hudson English and navigator explores the area.

1653 – Nathaniel Batts becomes the earliest permanent settler in North Carolina.

1691 – The area assumed the name of North Carolina.

1705 – The first permanent city is founded at Bath.

1711 – 1711-1713: The Tuscarora War between the Tuscarora Native Americans and European settlers. The Tuscarora are defeated

1712 – North Carolina and South Carolina split and North Carolina becomes a separate Colony.

1718 – The famous pirate Blackbeard is killed by the Royal Navy.

1729 – North Carolina becomes a Royal British Colony.

1781 – The Battle of Guilford Courthouse takes place.

1789 – North Carolina becomes the 12th state.

1828 – Andrew Jackson becomes the 7th president of the United States.

1830 – The Cherokee Indians are forced from their lands in what will be known as the “Trail of Tears.”

1861 – North Carolina secedes from the Union and the Civil War begins.

1868 – The state is readmitted to the Union.

1903 – The Wright Brothers make the first powered airplane flight at Kitty Hawk.

1918 – Fort Bragg is established near Fayetteville.

1959 – Research Triangle Park is created near Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.