230 years ago, Hinton James became the first Tar Heel

Posted Feb 19, 2025
While around 30,000 students are enrolled at UNC today, in February 1795 there was just one — Hinton James. While students residing on south campus are familiar with a long walk to class, James made a much longer trek (170 miles) from Wilmington to become Carolina’s first student to enroll. "Regardless of how he got here, it wasn’t an easy trip." (UNC.edu)

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