All 60 bits of North Carolina trivia in the NYT crossword so far this year

Mary Helen Moore
·10 min read

At some point this past winter, I began noticing North Carolina trivia popping up in The New York Times crossword puzzle.

An Elon University here. An Emerald Isle there. Sports references galore.

I’ve been addicted to the puzzle for about a year now, and in love with North Carolina my whole life.

So in January, I started jotting the NC references down. The closer I looked, the more I found.

I’d planned to share the full list at year’s end, but we’re officially halfway through 2024, and my list has grown faster and more interesting than I could have ever imagined.

So I’m splitting the job in two.

Here’s all the Tar Heel state trivia the NYT crossword has featured from January through June.

A North Carolina flag flies above South Building on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023.
A North Carolina flag flies above South Building on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023.

A guide to reading:

The ANSWER is listed first, followed by the numbered clue. “A” is for across and “D” is for down. The day follows, to show the difficulty level. The puzzles get harder from Monday to Saturday. Sundays are moderately difficult, but the puzzles are jumbo-sized.

History

TWO

29D: Number of graduates in the first class at West Point (1802) (Wednesday, Jan. 10)

One of these was Joseph Gardner Swift, who soon moved to North Carolina to command Fort Johnson on the Cape Fear River. He married a woman from Wilmington.

REED

28D: Bacteriologist Walter who conducted yellow fever research (Friday, March 15)

The namesake of the favored hospital for U.S. presidents, Walter Reed grew up in Murfreesboro, on the coast near Virginia.

WEBB

47D: Telescope named for the second administrator of NASA (Friday, April 5)

James Webb spent a lot of time in North Carolina before moving to D.C. He grew up in Granville County, attended UNC-Chapel Hill and commanded a Marine Corps unit at Cherry Point.

This image released by NASA on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, combined the capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope’s two cameras to create a never-before-seen view of a star-forming region in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), this combined image reveals previously invisible areas of star birth.

APOLLO I

110A: Mission honored by the “Fallen Astronaut” lunar memorial (Sunday, April 14)

33A: Tragic NASA mission of 1967 (Wednesday, April 24)

Like many astronauts of their era, the three-man crew of Apollo I spent time in Chapel Hill’s Morehead Planetarium studying stars before the fatal 1967 test launch.

POLK

44A: President during the Mexican-American War (Sunday, April 21)

James K. Polk, the 11th U.S. president, was born in Mecklenburg County and graduated from the University of North Carolina.

ELLA

3D: Civil rights activist Baker (Sunday, May 12)

She spent most of her childhood in Littleton and graduated from Shaw University, where she helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) an influential organization in the Civil Rights Movement.

WASPS

49D: Female flying group in W.W. II (Friday, May 31)

These pilots trained at Camp Davis, a military facility near Jacksonville.

WASPs (from left) Viola Thompson, Mary Clifford, and Lydia Linder were part of the target-towing Squadron at Camp Davis in 1943
WASPs (from left) Viola Thompson, Mary Clifford, and Lydia Linder were part of the target-towing Squadron at Camp Davis in 1943

Sports

CLINT

46D: American soccer icon ___ Dempsey (Saturday, Jan. 6)

After a legendary career, Clint Dempsey retired to Pinehurst.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS

17A: Tim Duncan’s longtime N.B.A. team (Monday, Jan. 8)

Duncan played for four years at Wake Forest University, where he was named the College Player of the Year in 1997.

ASHE

17A: Arthur who won Wimbledon in 1975 (Monday, Jan. 15)

12D: New York stadium eponym (Friday, Jan. 19)

7D: Arthur with a statue on Richmond’s Monument Avenue (Thursday, Feb. 1)

75A: Athlete Arthur (Sunday, Feb. 11)

3D: Arthur of the court (Wednesday, Feb. 21)

56A: “Off the Court” memoirist, 1981 (Friday, March 23)

Arthur Ashe shared his last name with Samuel Ashe, the former governor of North Carolina and namesake of Asheville, because the tennis great’s African ancestors were owned by Samuel Ashe in the 1700s. Arthur Ashe was born in Richmond, Virginia.

The Bank of America stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers, is seen on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
The Bank of America stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers, is seen on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.

CAROLINA

15D: Panthers’ home (Saturday, Feb. 3)

The NFL team, making a rare February appearance.

HORNETS

16A: Members of the genus Vespa (Wednesday, Feb. 14)

Fun fact for fans of the Charlotte NBA squad.

ARENAS

16A: Where to watch the Lightning and Hurricanes (Wednesday, Feb. 21)

Raleigh’s PNC Arena is in for a major transformation over the next few years that will hopefully put it on par with Amalie Arena in Tampa.

HAMM

5D: Soccer great Mia (Monday, Feb. 26)

Mia Hamm went to North Carolina, winning four national championships and losing only one game during her time with the Heels.

North Carolina’s Mia Hamm led the Tar Heels to four national championships.
North Carolina’s Mia Hamm led the Tar Heels to four national championships.

LOLA

26A: Bunny first appearing in “Space Jam” (1996) (Wednesday, Feb. 28)

The movie stars Wilmington’s own Michael Jordan, a six time NBA champion and perhaps the greatest basketball player of all time.

CANES

25D: Carolina N.H.L.’ers, informally (Thursday, March 14)

Next year is surely our year.

CHA

35A: The N.B.A.’s Hornets, on scoreboards (Saturday, May 11)

I confidently wrote in CLT at first. Oops.

NIKES

1A: Jordans, e.g. (Friday, May 17)

The first Air Jordan was released in 1985, the year after Michael Jordan left UNC. He won an NCAA championship while playing for the Tar Heels.

Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan laughs while responding to a question on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte.
Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan laughs while responding to a question on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte.

EMEKA

14D: _____ Okafor, 2004-05 N.B.A. Rookie of the Year (Saturday, May 18)

Okafor achieved the feat with the Charlotte Bobcats, who drafted him second overall.

DASHED HOPES

100A: S-O-L-O and L-A-N-G-E? (Sunday, June 2)

Half of this wordplay clue references Hope Solo, a longtime goalie for the U.S. women’s national soccer team who resettled in North Carolina after her playing career ended.

STEPH

51D: N.B.A. star Curry (Tuesday, June 4)

The elite point guard grew up in Charlotte and, in 2008, took the Davidson College Wildcats to the Elite Eight.

In early 2004, 15-year-old Steph Curry -- then a high school player at Charlotte Christian -- posed with his dad Dell Curry (left) for The Charlotte Observer.
In early 2004, 15-year-old Steph Curry -- then a high school player at Charlotte Christian -- posed with his dad Dell Curry (left) for The Charlotte Observer.

Places

ISLE

43A: Emerald ___ (Saturday, Jan. 6)

I filled this in without hesitation, then thought surely I’d have to correct it later. Now I know it’s most likely a reference to Ireland’s longtime nickname. Whatever.

ELON

47A: The Phoenix of the N.C.A.A. (Saturday, Jan. 27)

37A: Private university of North Carolina (Wednesday, Jan. 31)

I did not know their mascot, but was delighted when the first answer fell into place. I confidently wrote in Duke for the second mention. Elon University is situated halfway between Raleigh and Greensboro.

COASTAL AREA

22D: The Outer Banks or the Jersey Shore, e.g. (Thursday, March 28)

The barrier islands lent their name to a TV show of the same name.

UNC

53D: Chapel Hill sch. (Tuesday, June 18)

My heart leapt. Go Heels.

UNC graduates toss their mortar boards into the air at the conclusion of UNC Chapel Hill’s commencement ceremonies at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, May 11, 2024.
UNC graduates toss their mortar boards into the air at the conclusion of UNC Chapel Hill’s commencement ceremonies at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, May 11, 2024.

Food & Drink

ALE

23D: Sierra Nevada, e.g. (Wednesday, Jan. 17)

The clued brand opened a major brewery in the North Carolina mountain town Mills River a decade ago.

SOY

3D: Base for tofu and tempeh (Tuesday, Jan. 23)

Soybeans are North Carolina’s most widely farmed crop, with production valued at nearly $810 million in 2023.

PEPSI

21D: Coke competitor (Tuesday, Feb. 13)

Pepsi comes from New Bern.

Stop by Middle and Pollack streets in downtown New Bern, N.C., for The Pepsi Store – The Birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, where Caleb Bradham – a pharmacist and University of North Carolina alumnus – invented and began selling the cola in the late 1890s, first known as “Brad’s Drink.”
Stop by Middle and Pollack streets in downtown New Bern, N.C., for The Pepsi Store – The Birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, where Caleb Bradham – a pharmacist and University of North Carolina alumnus – invented and began selling the cola in the late 1890s, first known as “Brad’s Drink.”

SLAW

15A: Red ____ (serving at a Carolina barbecue) (Thursday, Feb. 15)

I’m from the blessed eastern side of the state, so I have never had this, but am assured it’s a very real thing.

YAM

67D: Thanksgiving serving (Wednesday, June 12)

North Carolina has produced more sweet potatoes than any other state since the 1970s.

Business

MOOG

14A: Pioneering synthesizer brand (Tuesday, Jan. 23)

Moog Music is based in Asheville.

TIM

63D: Cook with a long history at Apple (Wednesday, Feb. 21)

Tim Cook got his business degree in 1988 at Duke University while working on personal computers at IBM. He joined Apple a decade later and is now CEO.

Apple CEO Tim Cook fist bumps graduates while leaving Duke University’s commencement on Monday. His company is considering locating some of its operations in the Triangle.
Apple CEO Tim Cook fist bumps graduates while leaving Duke University’s commencement on Monday. His company is considering locating some of its operations in the Triangle.

MENU

56D: The Cheesecake Factory’s has more than 20 pages (Tuesday, March 26)

The Cheesecake Factory has two bakeries on either side of the country. The East Coast facility is in Rocky Mount.

MINI GOLF

18A: Popular pastime played with putters (Monday, May 13)

Well, what do you know? The first known miniature golf course in America was built in Pinehurst in 1919.

IBM

115D: Company that once generated more than 4,000 patents in a single year (Sunday, June 23)

The company has a sprawling campus in Research Triangle Park, hiring its first employee there in 1965. The patent achievement happened in 2008.

The big Rolex clock near the first tee on Pinehurst No. 2.
The big Rolex clock near the first tee on Pinehurst No. 2.

Arts & Culture

SHAW

20D: Jazz trumpeter Woody (Saturday, Jan. 20)

Woody Shaw hailed from Laurinburg, near the South Carolina border.

IDOL

54A: Longtime TV singing series, to fans (Wednesday, Feb. 7)

30D: “American ____” (Wednesday, March 27)

North Carolina is home to more American Idol winners than any other state:

  • Fantasia Barrino (2004) is from High Point

  • Scotty McCreery (2011) is from Garner

  • Caleb Johnson (2014) is from Asheville

ARTIE

52A: Jazz great Shaw (Thursday, Feb. 8)

One of Artie Shaw’s eight (!!!) wives was film darling Ava Gardner, who was from Johnston County and attended Atlantic Christian College.

Actress Ava Gardner takes a selfie with News and Observer photographer Lawrence Wofford’s camera on a visit to Raleigh, June 1947.
Actress Ava Gardner takes a selfie with News and Observer photographer Lawrence Wofford’s camera on a visit to Raleigh, June 1947.

AMY

28D: Comedian Sedaris (Tuesday, March 5)

The Sedaris family relocated to Raleigh from New York when their kids were young, which figures into both Amy’s and her brother David’s comedy careers.

SMOOVE

30D: Actor J. B. of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (Thursday, March 7)

The comedian was born in Plymouth, a small town on the Roanoke River.

RAP

9D: Genre for Da Brat or DaBaby (Monday, March 11)

DaBaby hails from Charlotte.

Rapper DaBaby performs a surprise concert at Garinger High School in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday, April 22, 2024.
Rapper DaBaby performs a surprise concert at Garinger High School in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday, April 22, 2024.

ESSO

61A: Indie pop duo Sylvan ____ (Friday, March 22)

“We are dead,” the duo posted in response.

RETTA

9D: One-named actress on “Parks and Recreation” (Friday, March 22)

Retta, who played Donna Meagle, went to Duke University.

SAX

113D: Coltrane’s instrument (Sunday, March 24)

The jazz artist was born in the small town of Hamlet and grew up in High Point.

Ben Folds performs with the N.C. Symphony at Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh on Thursday night.
Ben Folds performs with the N.C. Symphony at Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh on Thursday night.

TRIO

30D: Ben Folds Five, e.g., oddly enough (Thursday, April 4)

Ben Folds is from Greensboro and the band formed in Chapel Hill.

ENDERS

36D: “_____ Game” (sci-fi classic) (Thursday, April 4)

Author Orson Scott Card has lived in Greensboro since the 1980s.

BETTY

13D: Smith who wrote “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” (Sunday, April 14)

The novel was written in North Carolina. In the 1930s, the federal government sent Betty Smith to Chapel Hill to work as part of her theater job in the Works Progress Administration.

Betty Smith’s home in Chapel Hill was part of her identity, her daughter says. With Smith’s first royalty check, the girl who grew up in a tenement bought a grand home at East Rosemary and Hillsborough streets.
Betty Smith’s home in Chapel Hill was part of her identity, her daughter says. With Smith’s first royalty check, the girl who grew up in a tenement bought a grand home at East Rosemary and Hillsborough streets.

ESP

78D: One of Eleven’s powers on “Stranger Things” (Sunday, April 21)

The show was created by Durham natives Matt and Ross Duffer, who are twin brothers.

I TOLD YOU SO

57A: 1988 #1 country hit for Randy Travis (Sunday, April 28 — This is a music-themed puzzle, so buckle up!)

The singer-songwriter grew up in Marshville, a teensy town outside of Charlotte.

NINA

45D: Singing Simone (Sunday, April 28)

The blues musician hails from Tryon, a small town on the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

“What Happened, Miss Simone” follows the life of jazz artist and civil rights radical Nina Simone.
“What Happened, Miss Simone” follows the life of jazz artist and civil rights radical Nina Simone.

THE PIPS

58D: Gladys Knight’s backup group (Sunday, April 28)

Gladys Knight went to Shaw University and now lives near Asheville.

MILES

110D: Jazz trumpeter Davis (Sunday, April 28)

The trumpet Miles Davis recorded the landmark album “Kind of Blue” with now resides at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

ANGELOU

8D: “And Still I Rise” writer (Sunday, May 17)

Maya Angelou moved to North Carolina in 1981 after taking a professorship at Wake Forest University. She lived in Winston-Salem until her death in 2014.

Maya Angelou lived in North Carolina from 1981 until her death in 2014. Angelou, Harry Golden and Betty Smith are examples of authors who made North Carolina their home and, in the process, contributed to the state’s literary legacy.
Maya Angelou lived in North Carolina from 1981 until her death in 2014. Angelou, Harry Golden and Betty Smith are examples of authors who made North Carolina their home and, in the process, contributed to the state’s literary legacy.

MATT

13D: ____ James, ABC’s first Black “Bachelor” (Thursday, May 23)

He is a Raleigh native.

PAM

5D: Grier of “Foxy Brown” (Sunday, June 9)

The 1970s movie star was born in Winston-Salem.

BEBOP

34D: Monk’s style (Thursday, June 20)

Jazz artist Thelonious Monk was born in Rocky Mount.

Thelonious Monk: “All you’re supposed to do is lay down the sounds and let the people pick up on them.”
Thelonious Monk: “All you’re supposed to do is lay down the sounds and let the people pick up on them.”

TORI

15D: Singer Amos (Thursday, June 27)

Tori Amos was born in Catawba County.

Miscellany

THAT DOG DON’T HUNT

29A: “Bad plan!,” in Southern slang (Saturday, Jan. 6)

There’s no definitive source on where this came from, but it was very in-the-language for me. Our state dog, the Plott hound, is a “rugged, relentless hunting dog who is a mellow gentleman at home,” according to the American Kennel Club.

EPA

37D: Superfund grp. (Sunday, Jan. 7)

29A: Org. that regulates fertilizers (Saturday, Feb. 24)

66D: Lead regulator, for short (Wednesday, April 17)

58D: Org. that enforces the Toxic Substances Control Act (Wednesday, May 29)

62D: Org. concerned with climate change (Thursday, June 13)

36A: Emissions-monitoring org. (Tuesday, June 18)

The Environmental Protection Agency has a sprawling campus in Research Triangle Park where more than 2,000 people work.

Nearly hitting for the cycle. Can we get a Monday and a Friday before 2024 ends?

LOCAL PAPER

1A: Small-town issue (Saturday, April 27)

Support yours.

A scene at the bustling northwest corner of of Fayetteville and Martin Streets, February 24, 1962.
A scene at the bustling northwest corner of of Fayetteville and Martin Streets, February 24, 1962.
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