On August 11, 1909, off the coast of Cape Hatteras, telegraph operator Theodore Haubner called for help from the steamship, S. S. Arapahoe. He was momentarily confused because a new telegraph code “SOS” had recently been ratified by the Berlin Radiotelegraphic Conference to replace the old “CQD”, and he wondered which signal he should send. He sent both.
Haubner’s transmission was the first recorded American use of “SOS” to call for help.
On August 10, 1942, pilots from North Carolina’s first Civil Air Patrol (CAP) base at Skyco on Roanoke Island began making patrols.
On August 10, 1866, acclaimed fish biologist Eugene Willis Gudger was born in Waynesville. His ancestors were some of the earliest settlers west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Gudger’s interest in natural history began as a boy, when a family friend gave him a subscription to St. Nicholas magazine and a copy of Jacob Abbott’s book Land and Water. After attending Emory and Henry College and the University of Nashville, he earned his Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins.
On August 9, 1949, the first locally-established arts council in the United States was formed in Winston-Salem.
The Junior League of Winston-Salem brought national community arts consultant Virginia Lee Comer to town in 1943 to study the cultural life of the community. Her strategy for cultural planning was to build connections between the community and its arts activities.
On August 8, 1740, politician and zealous advocate for the Patriot cause Abner Nash was born.
From 1774 to 1776 Nash was a delegate to each of North Carolina’s five provincial congresses, while also serving as a member of the Provincial Council. He served in both houses of the fledgling General Assembly before being elected governor in 1780.
On August 8, 1908, Mary Reynolds was born in Winston to tobacco magnate R. J. Reynolds and his wife Katherine.