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A daily look at some of The News & Observer headlines on this date in past years.
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On this day in 2017, Hyde County officials ordered the evacuation of Ocracoke Island after an accidental power outage, forcing thousands of beach tourists to cut their vacations short.
Construction crews cut the transmission line while working on the Bonner Bridge project, throwing the popular Outer Banks island into darkness.
Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency, and after a day, realizing power would take days to restore, vacationers crowded onto ferries and abandoned their summertime fun.
“We just got to the island yesterday,” said Ryan McGenney, retreating from an annual trip from Maryland.
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A British woman visiting Fayetteville on a three-month tourist visa made a public plea for a husband “in name only” so she could realize her dream of living in the United States. Linda Christine Jones, described in news dispatches only as “young,” said she appreciated the American outlook on life and wished to be a permanent resident.
Within a day, “the pretty Miss Jones” had offers from 50 eligible suitors.
Lightning struck the 200-foot steeple at Edenton Street Methodist Church, destroying the downtown building. Flames brought the steeple crashing to the ground, and soon the entire roof collapsed.
“The fire resembled a huge flaming spear,” wrote N&O reporter Charles Craven, “its point tipped by a cross.”
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In 1926, the state suffered a spate of bizarre misfortunes when: