Topics Related to This Day in North Carolina History
On October 27, 1901, George Watts Hill was born to a prosperous family in Durham. The newborn would inherit wealth, commanding a fortune earned in banking, and over time would demonstrate an abiding sense of devotion to his country.
On October 26, 1993, NFL owners chose the site of the 29th NFL franchise, and the Carolina Panthers were born.
On October 26, 1858, James H. Young was born into slavery near Henderson. Thanks in large measure to his father’s emphasis on education, Young was hired to work in the office of Colonel J. J. Young, an internal revenue collector. While working in the office, he became involved with the Republican Party.
On October 26, 1895, UNC fullback Joel Whitaker threw the first forward pass in football to his teammate George Stephens.
The history-making throw happened in Atlanta where the Tar Heels were playing the University of Georgia Bulldogs. Whitaker was punting from the Carolina end zone and, to avoid the Georgia players charging him, tossed the ball forward. As luck would have it, Stephens was the one to catch the toss. It probably looked to many in the audience like the ball was knocked out of Whitaker’s hands and that the whole situation was an accident.
On October 25, 1774, women in Edenton resolved to stop buying English tea and cloth to protest taxation without representation. The event became known as the Edenton Tea Party.
On October 26, 1951, President Harry S. Truman signed the Durham-Humphrey Amendment to the 1938 Food, Drugs and Cosmetic Act into law. Cosponsored by North Carolina native Rep. Carl T. Durham and future vice president Hubert Humphrey Jr., the amendment sought to regulate the distribution of medication.
On October 25, 1969, the Malcolm X Liberation University opened in Durham. Founded by black activist Howard Fuller and named for then recently-slain civil rights leader Malcolm X, the school was founded in response to protests by students at Duke University over the lack of an African American studies program there. The school was first housed in what was once a hosiery mill on Pettigrew Street.
On October 25, 1988, professional pool player Luther Lassiter died while practicing the sport he loved at his Elizabeth City home.
Born in Pasquotank County in 1918, Lassiter took an interest in pool at an early age, and the owner of a local pool hall in Elizabeth City let him practice there for free in exchange for cleaning the place after closing. He dropped out of school at 16 to pursue billiards full-time.
On October 24, 1940, African American editor, lawyer and civil rights advocate, Robert Lee Vann died at the age of 59. Among the nation’s most prominent black journalists for 30 years, Vann was born outside of what is now Ahoskie in 1879.
On October 23, 1896, the first rural free delivery, or RFD mail service in North Carolina was established in the small community of China Grove, near Salisbury in Rowan County.