On August 6, 1918, Diamond Shoals Lightship No. 71 was shelled by a German submarine while anchored off Cape Hatteras. The lightship, which had just sent a wireless message about the submarine’s shelling of the USS Merak, served as a beacon at sea to warn mariners of the dangerous shoals that formed off the coast.
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On August 6, 1945, Major Thomas Wilson Ferebee, a U.S. Army Air Corps bombardier and Mocksville native, dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.The 12-man crew aboard the B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, took off for Hiroshima at 2 a.m. from Tinian Island in the western Pacific. Ferebee, then 26 and a veteran of 64 combat missions, was napping and initially did not hear the pilot, Colonel Paul Tibbets Jr., brief the crew about their top-secret mission.
On August 6, 1944, Greensboro native George E. Preddy Jr., the top P-51 Mustang ace during World War II, downed six planes on a single day, earning a Distinguished Service Cross—the nation’s second highest award—in the process.
Wilmington native Roman Gabriel gained fame as the quarterback for N.C. State from 1959 to 1961, where he was a two time All-American and a two time ACC Player of the Year. After a stellar college career, Gabriel was the No. 2 draft pick for the Los Angeles Rams in 1962.
On August 5, 1889, Cullowhee Academy, a private school that was the predecessor of Western Carolina University, opened with an enrollment of 18. The school quickly prospered and closed the year with 100 students.
On August 4, 1942, Camp Butner officially opened. The camp spanned parts of Durham, Granville and Person Counties and was large enough to accommodate more than 30,000 troops. As the war progressed, Camp Butner's mission evolved to include the housing of prisoners of war.
On August 4, 1937, North Carolina Secretary of State Thad Eure issued a certificate setting up the Brown Creek Soil Conservation District, the first of its kind in the nation. That summer, farmers in Anson County voted overwhelmingly to formally establish a district of more than 120,000 acres, much of it badly eroded.
On August 3, 1940, an article about Wilmington native Lady Olga, considered by many to be the world’s greatest bearded lady, was published in The New Yorker.