North Carolina History

Jan. 22: Littleton College Victim to 1919 Fire. On Jan. 22, 1919, a fire consumed a majority of the buildings on the campus of Littleton College in Halifax County. No lives were lost, but the devastation was so complete–damages exceeding $50,000–that the owner could not raise the money to rebuild and the school closed.

Originally opened in January 1882 as the for-profit Central Institute, the school received a legislative charter that same year. It was conceived as a place for “the intellectual, moral, and religious development and training of young ladies.” The all-female institute was affiliated with the Methodist Church.

The first principle of the institute was Reverend James Manley Rhodes, himself a graduate of Trinity College. In 1887, Rhodes left the institute for another female college but he returned in 1889.

Upon his return, Rhodes purchased the college property from the original stockholders. In the intervening year, 1888, the charter had been amended to change the name of the school to Littleton Female College.

Rhodes created a two-year program including such courses as chemistry, physics, stenography, languages, and history. In 1912, the word “Female” was dropped from the name.

Tragically, the fire occurred at the height of the school’s popularity.

Jan. 23: Light Returns to Cape Hatteras Beacon, 1950. On Jan. 23, 1950, after a 14-year hiatus, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse once again shone its beacon over the Atlantic Ocean to warn mariners of the dangers of Diamond Shoals. The 208-foot tower had been abandoned because of the encroaching sea, and its signal was temporarily replaced by a light atop a steel structure, known as the skeleton tower, built near the lighthouse site.

At the time of its construction in 1870, the iconic black and white-striped lighthouse was 1,500 feet from the ocean. The lighthouse was constantly at risk from the quickly receding shoreline, but several measures were taken to keep it safe.

During the 1930s, a Civilian Conservation Corps crew constructed sand dunes and planted grasses that helped to build up the shoreline in the area. The construction of groins, the placement of sand bags and the installation of artificial seaweed offshore were also tried at the time, but by 1936 waves had reached the structure’s base, forcing the Lighthouse Service to close it.

After being saved in 1950, the lighthouse was threatened once again by the Atlantic during the 1980s, when waters came within 200 feet of its red brick base. Because of its historical and cultural significance, several options for preserving the structure were discussed by scholars, public officials and lighthouse lovers. After much debate, the 2,800-ton lighthouse was moved 2,900 feet from the shore in 1999.

Jan. 24: Broken Arrow Incident in Wayne County. On January 24, 1961, a B-52G Stratofortress Bomber carrying two nuclear weapons crashed in rural Wayne County, 10 miles northeast of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. At the height of the Cold War, U.S. policy was to keep armed nuclear aircraft in the air at all times in the event of a conflict

Internal structural damage had begun inside the right wing of the doomed plane during refueling. During preparation for landing at Seymour Johnson, a major structural failure of the right wing occurred and the aircraft exploded at 8,000 feet. Three members of the eight-man crew were killed.

As a result of the breakup of the plane, two nuclear weapons were released. Seven of the eight arming, fusing and firing switches and devices in one bomb automatically activated. Only a crew-controlled switch prevented a nuclear detonation. Since its parachute deployed, one bomb had only minor damage when it fell about a mile from the crash site. The second bomb fell free, without its parachute deploying, and broke apart on impact.

Historians believe that the Goldsboro incident was one of the closest near-disasters related to the Cold War because safety interlocks on the weapons failed, having gone through all of the steps to detonate, save one.

JAN. 25: Acclaimed Beauty Ava Gardner, Pride of Grabtown dies. On Jan. 25, 1990, Johnston County native and world-famous actress Ava Gardner died in her London apartment.

Born on a Grabtown farm, Gardner moved around North Carolina as a child, graduated from high school in Wilson County and began a program in secretarial studies at what is now Barton College.

Discovered by chance after her brother-in-law posted a photograph in the window of his New York City studio, Gardner was offered a contract with MGM Studios. Since her mother would not allow her to head to Hollywood alone, both Garner and her sister moved to the West Coast in 1941.

Appearing in mostly minor and nonspeaking roles during the first five years of her career, Gardner saw her profile raised significantly after her 1946 performances in Whistle Stop and The Killers. Gardner went on to make at least 55 movies, including On the Beach (1959), The Night of the Iguana(1964) and Earthquake (1974). She also achieved notoriety for her marriages to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra.

Gardner moved to Spain in 1955 to escape constant hounding from the press, and after nearly a decade there, moved to London, where she spent the final years of her life.

NATION AND WORLD HISTORY

Jan. 21, Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 21, 2010, a bitterly divided U.S. Supreme Court, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, vastly increased the power of big business and labor unions to influence government decisions by freeing them to spend their millions directly to sway elections for president and Congress.

Jan. 22, Supreme Court declares right to abortion with Roe v Wade. On Jan. 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its Roe v. Wade decision, declared a nationwide constitutional right to abortion.

Jan.. 22, COVID-19 warnings first issued. In 2020, Chinese health authorities urged people in the city of Wuhan to avoid crowds and public gatherings after warning that a new viral illness that had infected hundreds of people and caused at least nine deaths could spread further. Health officials in Washington state said they were actively monitoring 16 people who’d come in close contact with a traveler to China, the first U.S. resident known to be infected with the virus.

Jan. 23, 24th Amendment bans poll taxes in federal elections. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 23, 1964, the 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, eliminating the poll tax in federal elections, was ratified as South Dakota became the 38th state to endorse it.

Jan. 24, Apple begins selling the Macintosh. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 24, 1984, Apple Computer began selling its first Macintosh model, which boasted a built-in 9-inch monochrome display, a clock rate of 8 megahertz and 128k of RAM.

Jan. 25, Jury convicts Charles Manson. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 25, in 1971, Charles Manson and three women followers were convicted in Los Angeles of murder and conspiracy in the 1969 slayings of seven people, including actor Sharon Tate.

Jan. 26, Kobe Bryant, daughter Gianna and 7 others die in helicopter crash: On Jan. 26, 2020, NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed when their helicopter plunged into a steep hillside in dense morning fog in Southern California; the former Lakers star was 41.

This Week In History is compiled by Executive Editor David Kennard from Robesonian archives, the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the Associated Press.