| June 12, 1523 |
Lucas Vazques de Ayllon signs a contract with the Spanish crown to explore the coast of today's Southeastern Unitedd States. |
| December 8, 1564 |
Unhappy with the prospect of work and near starvation, men under the command of Rene de Laudonniere leave Fort Caroline and head for France. They arrive safely and seek pardons for their actions
|
| February 14, 1569 |
In a letter to Philip II, Guerau de Spes claims that John Hawkins has set up a colony in Florida. This is actually remnants of his crew that had made shore following his loss at San Juan de Ulloa.
|
| November 6, 1577 |
Humphrey Gilbert publishes a tract titled "A Discourse How Hir Majestie May Annoy the King of Spayne" which details exploring the coast between Newfoundland and Florida and establishing a colony there to raid the West Indies, attack Spanish merchant vessels and discover the Northwest Passage. Gilbert would explore the coast the following year in a little known voyage. Sir Walter Raleigh, who is Gilbert's half-brother, is closely associated with this trip.
|
| June 1, 1711 |
Queen Anne's Act (the British Postal Act) goes into effect in English colonies in North America. When Georgia is founded, postal service is governed by this act.
|
| July 14, 1742 |
Parliament repeals the "rum act," directing the Trustees to allow importation of rum into the colony of Georgia
|
| October 13, 1760 |
James Wright becomes acting royal governor
|
| |
James Wright |
| April 5, 1764 |
Revenue Act of 1764 (Sugar Act)
|
| March 22, 1765 |
Parliament passes the Stamp Act
|
| |
Stamp Act |
| May 14, 1765 |
Samuel Bowen, who had been imprisoned for 4 years while in China, purchases a tract of land in Thunderbolt. He had already asked Heny Yonge, a friend, to plant the soy bean seeds he brought with him from China
|
| November 1, 1765 |
Official date the Stamp Act was to go into effect
|
| |
Stamp Act |
| November 5, 1765 |
Demonstration of sailors in Savannah to protest the new Stamp Act
|
| |
City of Savannah, Georgia |
| |
Stamp Act |
| November 21, 1765 |
Because of uncertainty surrounding the Stamp Act, the Georgia Gazette ceases publication |
| |
Stamp Act |
| January 2, 1766 |
Governor Wright, alone but carrying a single-shot muzzle-loaded pistol, turns back the Sons of Liberty at the gate of the Governor's mansion. They had come to the mansion to protest the Stamp Act.
|
| |
James Wright |
| |
Stamp Act |
| January 3, 1766 |
Stampmaster George Angus serves a single day in the port of Savannah, making Georgia the only colony to actually have a stampmaster.
|
| |
Stamp Act |
| March 4, 1766 |
House of Commons votes to repeal the Stamp Act. |
| |
Stamp Act |
| March 17, 1766 |
House of Lords votes to repeal the Stamp Act |
| |
Stamp Act |
| March 18, 1766 |
King Georgia III signs bill repealing the Stamp Act, official as of May 1, 1766.
|
| |
Stamp Act |
| March 18, 1766 |
English Parliament passes the Declaratory Act.
|
| July 16, 1766 |
Georgia receives word that the Stamp Act has been repealed. |
| |
Stamp Act |
| June 26, 1767 |
First Townshend Act
|
| June 29, 1767 |
Second Townshend Act
|
| July 2, 1767 |
Third Townshend Act
|
| February 22, 1770 |
Royal Governor James Wright dissolves the Lower House because of its refusal to accept the governor's actions as precedent
|
| |
James Wright |
| April 12, 1772 |
Georgia's House of Commons elects radical Noble Wimberly Jones as speaker for the first of three times. Acting Royal Governor James Habersham rejects the choice each time. The body then selects Archibald Bulloch as speaker, whom Habersham accepts but orders the house to remove any mention of Jones' election. They refuse and Habersham orders the house dissolved
|
| May 10, 1773 |
Tea Act
|
| March 24, 1774 |
Britain passes the "Intolerable Acts."
|
| |
Intolerable Acts |
| August 10, 1774 |
Meeting at Tondee's Tavern to vote on eight resolutions, including calling the Intolerable Acts "contrary to the British constitution." The Radicals did not elect representatives to the First Continental Congress, although the proposal did receive much of the meeting's attention.
|
| December 22, 1775 |
Prohibitory Act
|
| September 16, 1777 |
Georgia amends the headright provision to also create a land sales office. No land is granted or sold under this act.
|
| |
Georgia headright grants |
| March 4, 1779 |
English Lt. Colonel James Mark Prevost appointed acting governor of Georgia, to serve until the arrival of James Wright
|
| |
James Wright |
| January 23, 1780 |
Georgia passes a headright law offering families 200 acres of land, plus 50 acres per person, to migrate to Georgia. Some land is surveyed to be granted, but none is actually granted under this law.
|
| |
Georgia headright grants |
| June 13, 1782 |
Under the Treason and Confiscation Act of 1778, Bonaventure is sold to John Habersham. |
| July 25, 1782 |
Lt. Col. James Jackson, leading a group of Georgia militia briefly engage British forces on Skidaway Island. This is the final action in the coastal war.
|
| |
James Jackson |
| |
Georgia and the American Revolution
|
| May 31, 1783 |
In Augusta, the state of Georgia concludes a treaty based on the Long Swamp Treaty, which cedes a large tract of land in present-day north Georgia. Although the treaty ceded significant portions of Cherokee (and disputed Creek) land, it did not come close to meeting the demands of Andrew Pickens and Elijah Clarke, who want all land east of the Chattahoochee River
|
| |
Hart County, Georgia |
| |
Stephens County, Georgia |
| |
Banks County, Georgia |
| |
Clarke County, Georgia |
| |
Franklin County, Georgia |
| |
City of Augusta, Georgia
|
| February 22, 1785 |
The General Assembly addresses the headright issues with a new act establishing a set procedure for granting headright land by delegating the authority to grant land to land courts in each county
|
| |
Georgia headright grants |
| May 10, 1785 |
Josiah Tattnall, Jr. purchases his father's plantation (Bonaventure) from John Habersham. Josiah, Sr. lost the plantation when it was seized by colonists under the Treason and Confiscation Act of 1778. |
| August 27, 1786 |
Following the uprising of the Creek, Governor Telfair contacts Governor Sevier of Franklin to propose that Georgia and Tennessee march against the Creek at the same time.
|
| |
Creek Indians |
| September 24, 1789 |
The Judiciary Act of 1789 organizes the state of Georgia as a single judicial district.
|
| December 21, 1789 |
First Yazoo Land Act becomes law granting 5,000,000 acres of vacant land to three companies
|
| |
Yazoo Land Fraud
|
| April 28, 1790 |
President Washington expresses his disapproval of the actions of Patrick Henry and others in the First Yazoo Act
|
| |
Yazoo Land Fraud
|
| |
George Washington |
| February 20, 1792 |
Postal Act of 1792 helps Georgia by standardizing postal rates throughout the nation, including the free mailing of newspapers between editors
|
| December 25, 1794 |
Several men threaten the governor of Georgia to make it unpleasant for him if he does not sign the Yazoo Act. Governor Mathews does not listen
|
| |
Yazoo Land Fraud
|
| December 29, 1794 |
Gov. George Mathews returns the Yazoo Act to the state legislature questioning the amount of money the state is to recieve and encouraging more participation of Georgia citizens
|
| |
Yazoo Land Fraud
|
| January 2, 1795 |
Amended version of the Yazoo Act passed by the Georgia House
|
| |
Yazoo Land Fraud
|
| January 3, 1795 |
Amended version of the Yazoo Act passed by the Georgia Senate
|
| |
Yazoo Land Fraud
|
| January 13, 1795 |
Land is deeded to The Georgia Company, The Georgia-Mississippi Company, The Tennessee Company and the Upper Mississippi Company under the corrupt Yazoo Act. Georgia Governor George Mathews signs the deed. |
| |
Yazoo Land Fraud
|
| |
Fletcher v. Peck |
| February 17, 1795 |
President George Washington, speaking about the Yazoo Land Act states "...These acts embrace an object of such magnitude and in their consequences may so deeply affect the peace and welfare of the United States..."
|
| |
Yazoo Land Fraud
|
| |
George Washington |
| February 23, 1795 |
The U. S. Congress denounces the Yazoo Land Act
|
| |
Yazoo Land Fraud
|
| December 11, 1795 |
The Georgia Union Company is added to the Yazoo Act
|
| |
Yazoo Land Fraud
|
| January 14, 1796 |
Responding to public pressure, almost all legislators who profited from the Yazoo Land Act are removed from office. U.S. Senator James Jackson, now a member of the state legislature, convenes the so-called "Reform Legislature"
|
| |
James Jackson |
| |
Yazoo Land Fraud
|
| February 13, 1796 |
Gov. Irwin signs a bill rescinding the Yazoo Land Act. It will take 6 years and a landmark Supreme Court ruling for the state to settle claims resulting from this legislation
|
| |
Yazoo Land Fraud
|
| February 18, 1796 |
Act rescinding the Yazoo Land Act becomes law
|
| |
Yazoo Land Fraud
|
| February 18, 1796 |
Under pressure from reformists led by U.S. Senator and Revolutionary War hero James Jackson, the Yazoo Land Act is rescinded.
|
| |
James Jackson |
| |
Georgia headright grants |
| February 21, 1796 |
At the state capital in Louisville, Georgia's reform politicians burn every copy of the Yazoo Land Act except for one sent to General George Washington. It is the only known copy of the act to survive
|
| |
Georgia headright grants |
| April 7, 1798 |
U. S. Congress authorizes three commissioners to negotiate with Georgia for the cession of all or part of the lands encompassed by the Yazoo Land Act of 1795
|
| |
Yazoo Land Fraud
|
| April 26, 1802 |
Georgia cedes the land involved in the Yazoo Land Fraud (and the associated legal problems) to the United States. In exchange the state receives 1.25 million dollars and the promise of removal of the Cherokee Indians from the present-day boundaries of the state. President Thomas Jefferson announces the cession of Yazoo Act lands to the U. S. government
|
| |
Yazoo Land Fraud
|
| May 11, 1803 |
Land Lottery Act passed by Georgia legislature. Georgia needed to divest new lands ceded by the Creek, and did not want to return to the corrupt headright practice. A lottery to be held in 1805 that gave advantages to veterans was chosen.
|
| |
Georgia headright grants |
| June 26, 1806 |
Georgia's first land lottery (1805) proved so successful that a second land lottery was enacted to be held in 1807
|
| |
Georgia Land Lotteries |
| March 16, 1810 |
Chief Justice John Marshall delivered the opinion in Fletcher V. Peck. The ruling rescinded an act of the Georgia legislature which revoked rights previously granted by contract.
|
| |
Fletcher v. Peck |
| September 24, 1810 |
Using a revolt by citizens of West Florida as a pretext, (they had secured Baton Rouge the previous day) Leonard Covington marches into West Florida and claims it for the United States. His actions endear him to the state of Georgia, the only American state near West Florida at the time. |
| |
Leonard Covington |
| December 11, 1811 |
John Howard, John W. Devereux and Hubert Reynolds are appointed commisioners to contract for the state penitentiary. The facility is to be built in Milledgeville. |
| November 11, 1813 |
Battle of Crysler's Farm, across the St. Lawrence River at Messena, N. Y. Actual site of the battle now covered by Lake St. Lawrence. |
| |
Leonard Covington |
| March 27, 1814 |
General Andrew Jackson defeats the Creek Red Stick faction at Horseshoe Bend of the Tallapoosa River (now Alabama).
|
| November 11, 1814 |
Peter Early vetoes an extension of the so-called "Alleviating Act." This action will cost him the support of a large portion of his electorate
|
| |
Peter Early |
| June 1, 1818 |
Surveyors designate the Camak Stone as the western end of Georgia and Tennessee. They are about 1 mile south of the actual border, the 35th parallel. |
| February 2, 1819 |
Supreme Court rules in Dartmouth v. Woodward, overturning a lower court opinion supporting the governor of New Hampshire in an attempt to usurp power from the college trustees. This pivitol case established the right of individuals to enter into contracts as a group. |
| |
Daniel Webster |
| November 1, 1823 |
Jeremiah Griffin invents the stamp mill, a method for crushing rock, from which gold is then extracted |
| August 25, 1826 |
Surveyors mark the actual location of the Georgia-Alabama border. The Camak Stone is "uprooted" and moved to the correct location. |
| |
Georgia State Line |
| December 24, 1828 |
Julia Henrietta Scarborough marries Savannah cotton factor Godfrey Barnsley
|
| |
City of Savannah, Georgia |
| |
Godfrey Barnsley and Barnsley Gardens
|
| October 24, 1829 |
The Cherokee Nation, with the support of Major Ridge, his son John Ridge and Elias Boudinot, publisher of the Cherokee Phoenix, re-enact a law that prescribes death for anyone who sells lands without the authority of the nation. It is under this law that the three will be put to death 10 years later
|
| January 4, 1830 |
With a force of some 30 Cherokee and the permission of federal government, Major Ridge evicts whites who have illegally settled Cherokee land along the Georgia-Alabama border about 30 miles southwest of present-day Rome, Georgia. The act infuriates Georgia politicians
|
| |
Rome, Georgia |
| May 26, 1830 |
Indian Removal Act passed by Congress
|
| |
Indian Removal Act |
| June 30, 1830 |
Indian Removal Act signed by Andrew Jackson
|
| |
Indian Removal Act |
| March 1, 1831 |
Georgia enacts a law requiring all white males who reside in the Cherokee Nation to swear an oath of allegiance
|
| March 12, 1831 |
Without warrants the Georgia Guard "arrests" a number of whites working in the Cherokee Nation. They are released from custody because they are licensed and acting as agents of the United States.
|
| December 24, 1831 |
Georgia Gold Lottery enacted. This lottery, whose enabling act and drawing dates were different than the Sixth Georgia Land Lottery is, for some reason, frequently combined with the earlier lottery. It is, in fact, totally separate
|
| |
Cobb County, Georgia |
| |
Georgia Land Lotteries |
| December 29, 1831 |
The Cherokee Nation officially protests the actions of the state of Georgia to Secretary of War Lewis Cass
|
| |
Lewis Cass |
| April 5, 1836 |
John Quitman leads a militia group to the Texas frontier. He will be offered second in command to Sam Houston, which he declines, and will never see action.
|
| December 21, 1836 |
The Western and Atlantic Railroad Company is created by act of the Georgia legislature
|
| |
Western and Atlantic Railroad |
| January 31, 1840 |
Farewell dinner held for Abraham Baldwin Longstreet, who will be leaving his law practice to assume the presidency of Emory University
|
| |
University of Georgia, Athens (UGA) |
| |
Emory University |
| December 23, 1843 |
Gov. George W. Crawford signs an act creating the city of Marthasville
|
| September 23, 1846 |
John Quitman receives a brevet to Major General for his actions during the Battle of Monterrey.
|
| February 22, 1847 |
Augusta Factory, a textile mill, was organized
|
| |
City of Augusta, Georgia
|
| June 3, 1850 |
The Southern Convention, more commonly called the Nashville Convention begins. Lasting 9 days, the convention had been called to unite slaveholders against Northern intrusion, including possible secession. Moderate Democrats prevailed and established a "wait and see" attitude, taking no action.
|
| December 13, 1864 |
Sherman captures Fort McAllister. Two miles east of the fort his men make contact with the waiting Union fleet marking the end of the March to the Sea
|
| |
Civil War - 1864 |
| |
March to the Sea |
| |
William Tecumseh Sherman |
| January 16, 1865 |
From his field headquarters in Savannah, General William Tecumseh Sherman issues Special Field Orders, No. 15, giving "negroes now made free by the acts of war" abandoned coastal land from Charleston to the St. Johns River in Florida
|
| |
City of Savannah, Georgia |
| |
Slavery in Georgia |
| July 16, 1866 |
The Second Freedman's Bureau Act passed over Pres. Andrew Johnson's veto, allowing former slaves to retain ownership of land in Ogeechee District.
|
| April 9, 1872 |
The dispute over the boundary between Georgia and Florida, which had been waged for 72 years, is laid to rest by a act passed by the U. S. Congress
|
| July 1, 1879 |
Atlanta Cotton Factory opens. Gov. Alred H. Colquitt, Mayor William Calhoun, Western and Atlantic President Joseph E. Brown, and Benjamin Conley attend
|
| |
Joseph Emerson Brown |
| April 19, 1887 |
Gentleman's Driving Club agrees to purchase the 189-acre tract of Doc Walker. |
| May 5, 1887 |
First contract awarded for a building on the campus of Georgia Tech. (Tech Tower)
|
| January 18, 1892 |
Rotund actor Oliver Hardy, part of the Laurel and Hardy comedy team born in Harlem, Georgia
|
| |
Oliver Hardy |
| May 5, 1893 |
Panic on Wall Street begins because of the failure of a group of rope manufacturers. The monetary loss triggers a deep depression lasting four years
|
| April 5, 1901 |
Actor Melvyn Douglas born, Macon, Georgia
|
| |
City of Macon, Georgia |
| January 5, 1905 |
Actor Sterling Holloway born, Cedartown
|
| |
Polk County, Georgia |
| September 22, 1906 |
Four days of rioting ensue after the election of Hoke Smith, who ran on a platform of denying blacks the right to vote. Whites not only started the riots, but tried to lay blame on blacks. Officially the death toll is 12, but the actual number was probably significantly higher.
|
| May 8, 1908 |
Terminal Block Fire. Fire breaks out at the Schlesinger Candy Factory and destroys 30 buildings in downtown Atlanta including the Terminal Hotel |
| November 22, 1910 |
Boarding a private train in New Jersey a group of New York bankers, a presidential advisor, and a senator journey to Jekyll Island, Georgia to discuss the revision of a failed piece of legislation, the Federal Reserve Act of 1910. Their discussions are frequently, wrongly, credited with leading to the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, which created The Federal Reserve System.
|
| August 31, 1916 |
William Adamson [D-GA.] introduces the Adamson Act legislation, calling for an 8 hour workday and overtime pay.
|
| |
William Charles Adamson |
| September 3, 1916 |
Wilson signs the Adamson Act into law, four days after it had been proposed by Georgia Congressman William Adamson, averting a looming railroad strike
|
| |
William Charles Adamson |
| |
Woodrow Wilson |
| June 20, 1920 |
Actor DeForest Kelley born, Atlanta, Georgia
|
| |
DeForest Kelley |
| August 10, 1921 |
Following an active day of sailing and swimming at Campobello Island in New Brunswick, Canada, Franklin Roosevelt lays ill, unable to move his legs. Weeks later the illness is diagnosed as polio. |
| |
Franklin Delano Roosevelt |
| October 11, 1921 |
Inspired by a series of stories in the New York World, congressional hearings open on the activities of the Ku Klux Klan. They will continue for a week. |
| |
Ku Klux Klan in Georgia |
| February 3, 1924 |
Former President Woodrow Wilson, who grew up in Augusta and practiced law in Atlanta, died in Washington, D. C.
|
| |
Atlanta, Georgia (1900-2000) |
| |
City of Augusta, Georgia
|
| |
Woodrow Wilson |
| February 25, 1925 |
Committee overseeing the construction of Stone Mountain votes to cancel Gutzon Borglum's contract, following Borglum's outburst in the local papers over problems with the project.
|
| |
Stone Mountain |
| |
John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum |
| November 19, 1927 |
Pitcairn Air wins Miami to Atlanta contract
|
| |
Atlanta, Georgia (1900-2000) |
| April 13, 1929 |
Harry M. Paschal, acting as Asa Candler's agent, receives a check for $94,000 from the city of Atlanta as payment in full for Candler Field
|
| |
Atlanta, Georgia (1900-2000) |
| July 10, 1929 |
Pitcairn Avaition, which manufactured planes and ran an Atlanta mail route, changes its name to Eastern Air Transport |
| January 1, 1932 |
Reorganization Act of 1931 goes into effect. Georgia, faced with mounting debt because of decreased revenue during the Great Depression, reorganizes a vast bureaucracy into 18 agencies and departments to save money.
|
| |
Richard B. Russell, Jr. |
| March 13, 1933 |
President Roosevelt asked Congress to amend the Volstead Act, allowing for the sale of beer. Southern legislators are unhappy with the request. When voted on and approved two days later only two Georgians vote for the act. |
| |
Franklin Delano Roosevelt |
| February 9, 1934 |
U. S. Army, at the order of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, takes over all delivery of air mail in the country pending the rebid of all mail contracts. Previous contracts awarded fraudulently according to then Senator Hugo Black.
|
| |
Franklin Delano Roosevelt |
| June 12, 1934 |
New airmail contracts are made permanent, with Delta and Eastern gaining top seats at Atlanta Airport
|
| August 1, 1935 |
Margaret Mitchell signs contract with MacMillen
|
| |
Margaret Mitchell |
| June 25, 1941 |
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issues Executive Order 8802, making it illegal for defense contractors to discriminate against employees based on race, color(?), or religion. This executive order also established the Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC), overseeing the practices of the contractors
|
| |
The Road to Integration
|
| |
Franklin Delano Roosevelt |
| August 18, 1941 |
Flood Control Act of 1941 is enacted. This act authorized, in part, the construction of Allatoona Dam by the U. S. Corps of Engineers
|
| December 7, 1941 |
Surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Atlanta Mayor Roy LeGraw, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Georgia National Guard, informs the city council he intends to resign when assigned to active duty
|
| January 3, 1942 |
The United States Maritime Commission seizes a shipyard in Savannah when their contractor fell behind schedule on completing the facility. |
| |
City of Savannah, Georgia |
| January 28, 1942 |
53 days after Pearl Harbor the Eighth Air Force is activated, headquartered at the National Armory on Bull Street in Savannah
|
| |
City of Savannah, Georgia |
| |
Eighth Air Force |
| March 30, 1942 |
Ground is broken for the new Bell Bomber factory in Marietta
|
| |
Marietta, GA |
| August 17, 1943 |
In simultaneous attacks on Regensburg and Schweinfurt, the Eighth (Army) Air Force conducts raids on a Messerschmitt factory (Regensburg) and ball-bearing plants (Schweinfurt) from its secret base in England. Of 376 mission aircraft 60 are lost. |
| |
Eighth Air Force |
| December 22, 1944 |
Flood Control Act of 1944 enacted. Created Allatoona Dam
|
| June 4, 1946 |
President Harry S. Truman signs the (Russell-Ellender) National School Lunch Act into law. The act assured every child of a well-balanced, low-cost meal at school. It was one of Dick Russell's major accomplishments
|
| |
Richard B. Russell, Jr. |
| October 13, 1946 |
Actor Demond Wilson born, Valdosta, Georgia
|
| December 10, 1946 |
Two members of the Colombians describe in detail the activities of the group to an anti-Nazi group
|
| |
The Colombians |
| February 15, 1947 |
Emory Burke and Homer Loomis are found guilty on various charges stemming from the activities of The Colombians, an Atlanta-based racist group
|
| |
The Colombians |
| May 9, 1948 |
New passenger terminal/hanger opens at Atlanta Airport. Its theme was taken from a book by Joel Chandler Harris, one of Atlanta's favorite writers, Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings. A black employee sat on a bale of cotton outside the door and recited quotes from the book. At the time Atlanta Airport was ranked 7th in air line operations, actually reaching first place a couple of months each year.
|
| October 4, 1948 |
Walt Kelley, a Yankee from Connecticut, published a comic strip based on characters he created earlier in his life. Pogo was set in the Okefenokee Swamp (Fort Mudge) and began to appear when Kelly was art director for the short-lived New York Star.
|
| |
Okefenokee Swamp |
| November 4, 1950 |
During the Communist Chinese Forces offensive in North Korea, Corporal Lee Hugh Phillips leads his squad in an attack against fortified position held by a numerically superior force. He takes his objective. After the enemy regroups, they counterattack. With a total of 5 men Phillips boldly decides to attack the superior force, making the Chinese soldiers think the Americans had fortified the position. The enemy withdraws. For his actions on this day Corporal Phillips will receive the Medal of Honor.
|
| |
Corporal Lee Hugh Phillips
|
| September 8, 1952 |
Ray Charles records four songs for Atlantic Records, who purchased his contract the previous week. |
| February 19, 1953 |
Georgia enacts literary censorship, creating a board to review magazines, books and other forms of literary expression for material it considered obscene
|
| December 8, 1953 |
Actress Kim Basinger born, Athens, Georgia
|
| |
Kim Basinger |
| November 7, 1955 |
In a pivitol ruling, the U. S. Supreme Court desegregates public golf courses, playgrounds and beaches. Georgia Governor Eugene Talmadge says the public has the right to "refuse to comply." (Actually, they don't)
|
| May 21, 1956 |
Brenda Lee, then 11, is signed to a recording contract by Decca Records
|
| |
Brenda Lee
|
| June 8, 1956 |
The Great Locomotive Chase, starring Fess Parker, Jeff Hunter and Jeff York opens at Loew's Grand Theater in Atlanta. Much of the action was filmed on the Tallulah Falls Railroad in northeast Georgia. |
| August 7, 1957 |
Oliver Hardy, comedy actor who was born in Harlem and raised in Madison, dies from a cerebral thrombosis.
|
| |
Oliver Hardy |
| August 29, 1957 |
The 1957 Civil Right Act is passed in the Senate by a vote of 60 to 15. It was the first Civil Rights legislation passed in the United States in 79 years.
|
| |
The Road to Integration
|
| March 20, 1958 |
Actress Holly Hunter born, Conyers
|
| |
Holly Hunter |
| January 10, 1961 |
University of Georgia quarterback Fran Tarkenton, picked by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round of the draft, announces he has signed a contract with the expansion team
|
| July 30, 1961 |
Actor Laurence Fishburne born, Augusta, Georgia
|
| |
Laurence Fishborne |
| October 1, 1963 |
Georgia, eight months ahead of the National Civil Rights Act comprehensively desegregates virtually every public facility
|
| |
The Road to Integration
|
| December 14, 1964 |
In Heart of Atlanta v. U. S.The U. S. Supreme Court upholds the Civil Right Act of 1964. The "commerce clause" does allow Congress to regulate local commerce, noting the bill was "limited to enterprises having a direct and substantial relation to the interstate flow of goods and people" |
| April 8, 1968 |
Max Cleland is wounded by an enemy grenade in Vietnam. As a result of the explosion he lost both legs and his right arm. While in Vietnam he won the Bronze Start of Meritorious Service and the Silver Star for Gallantry in Action.
|
| |
Max Cleland
|
| October 2, 1968 |
National Trail System Act becomes law. This protects the 79 miles of The Appalachian Trail in Georgia, making it the first federal lineal park, along with the other 2000+ miles in other states. The land falls under management by the National Park Service
|
| April 16, 1970 |
Lawyers for "Mary Doe" and other pro-choice entities begin federal action to overturn Georgia's abortion laws.
|
| |
Roe v. Wade expanded in ruling on Doe v. Bolton |
| October 31, 1972 |
Actor Chris Tucker born, Atlanta |
| |
Chris Tucker |
| August 21, 1974 |
Set in Georgia in 1948, Buster and Billie is released to theaters. It stars Jan Micheal Vincent and Joan Goodfellow as the title characters and was filmed in Statesboro
|
| |
Movies filmed in Georgia
|
| September 8, 1976 |
The Bobbin Show, a trade show of the American Apparel Manufacturers, becomes the first show in the new Georgia World Congress Center
|
| September 23, 1976 |
Actor Kip Pardue born, Atlanta, Georgia
|
| |
Kevin Ian 'Kip' Pardue |
| July 1, 1977 |
Georgia's "Cave Law" (Cave Protection Acts, 1977) goes into effect, protecting caves throughout the state from pollution, looting and vandalism
|
| July 16, 1977 |
Bert Lance testifies before a Senate sub-committee, answering questions about activities of that bank while he was Chairman of the Board. Questions also arose about the involvement of Calhoun National Bank (Calhoun, Georgia). These questions revolved around "sweetheart" loans made to Lance.
|
| |
Bert Lance |
| September 18, 1979 |
The Misadventure of Sheriff Lobo begins a two year run starring Georgia native Claude Akins as the somewhat corrupt title character. Originally set in fictional Orly County, during the second season the show was set in Atlanta
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Movies filmed in Georgia
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| May 2, 1981 |
21-year old Danny Hansford is shot and killed by Jim Williams, who claimed he was acting in self defense
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Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
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| March 4, 1982 |
Alonzo Mann, a teenage helper in the National Pencil Factory, admits that he saw Jim Conley carrying the body of Mary Phagan by himself, implicating Conley's testimony
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Leo Frank and the murder of Mary Phagan |
| August 2, 1985 |
Delta Air Lines Flight 191 crashes while attempting to land at Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport. The original impact was in an empty field, but the plane remained intact and "bounced" onto a 6-lane highway, then crashing into a pair of water tanks. 136 out of 167 passengers died. |
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Delta Air Lines
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| December 3, 1986 |
Plant Hatch, a nuclear power facility near Baxley, Georgia, accidentally released radioactive water into Georgia wetlands near the plant
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Nuclear warhead near Savannah |
| May 4, 1989 |
An explosion in Marion County is attributed to a 90kg explosive device in a bomb accidentally released in a rural area. The bomb was intended for the practice range at Fort Benning.
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Marion County, Georgia |
| December 13, 1989 |
Driving Miss Daisy opens in limited release (3 screens). The blockbuster hit, which starred Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy and Dan Aykroyd was filmed in the Atlanta area. Tandy won Best Actress for her role (Daisy Werthan) and Freeman and Aykroyd were nominated for Best Supporting Actors, but both lost.
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Movies filmed in Georgia
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| August 16, 1991 |
TLC signs its first contract, with La Face Records
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TLC |
| October 11, 1992 |
Deion Sanders becomes the first player to participate in two pro sports games in the same day, playing for Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon, then flying back to Pittsburg to play in the National League Championship Series with the Atlanta Braves. Often overlooked in this accomplishment is the fact that he had played with the Braves in Pittsbugh on Saturday night. |
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Atlanta Falcons |
| April 20, 1993 |
In a surprise announcement, Georgia does not select the low bid contractor to handle the new Georgia lottery, but GTECH, a Rhode Island company to which who had heavily lobbied for the contract. |
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Georgia Lottery |
| May 13, 1993 |
Inquiry into lottery officials choice of GTECH as the lottery vendor for the Georgia Lottery Corp. was appropriate in spite of the fact that GTECH's bid was 33% higher than the low bidder |
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Georgia Lottery |
| December 22, 1995 |
Butterfly McQueen, best known for her role as "Prissy" in Gone With The Wind died in a tragic accident in Augusta, Georgia involving a kerosene heater that caught the dress she was wearing on fire. She ran outside and attempted to roll on the ground. A passing teenager smothered the fire with a blanket, but the badly burned actress died 10 hours later.
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City of Augusta, Georgia
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Gone With The Wind
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| October 11, 1996 |
The Adamson Act, which led the way to eight hour days and time and a half for overtime is officially replaced by other legislation
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| April 22, 1997 |
Digital signature act is signed into law
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| March 23, 1998 |
Kim Basinger wins the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in L. A. Confidential |
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Kim Basinger |
| May 1, 1998 |
Black Dog, an action film starring Patrick Swayze and Randy Travis is released. It was partially filmed in Atlanta and Cleveland, Georgia
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Movies filmed in Georgia
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| June 11, 1999 |
Actor DeForest Kelley dies from stomach cancer, Woodland Hills, California |
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DeForest Kelley |
| April 16, 2001 |
Driven premieres, starring Atlanta-born actor Kip Pardue. It will gross $32 million in 11 weeks of general release
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Kevin Ian 'Kip' Pardue |
| June 11, 2002 |
Life College, Marietta, Georgia, the largest Chiropractic College in the nation, loses its accreditation.
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Marietta, GA |
| December 17, 2002 |
Vernon Can Read! published. Vernon Jordan's employer, Robert Maddox, was so impressed with the fact that his chauffeur could read that he told all his friends, hence the title. The book is an accurate look at the difference between life in the North and life in the South for blacks from the 1940's - 1980's.
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Vernon Jordan |
| January 1, 2003 |
A 17-year old woman walks into the Douglasville,
Georgia, police station and reports that she had been forced to have sex with a group of teenagers at a nearby hotel. Police return to the hotel room, find a group of males and evidence of sexual activity including a videotape of the incident. |
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Genarlow Wilson |
| June 26, 2003 |
In Georgia v. Ashcroft the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that the goal of the 1965 Voting Rights Act was to create a society where "race no longer mattered," and that the Democratic Georgia redistricting plan of 2000 violated that tenet.
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| July 22, 2003 |
Atlanta radio personality "Skinny" Bobby Harper dies of cancer. He was the inspiration for the Dr. Johnny Fever character on the hit TV show, WKRP in Cincinnati.
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| May 25, 2004 |
Shortly after 4:00am fire broke out in BioLab, a chemical manufacturing and storage facility in Conyers. Smoke from the fire forced officials to close I-20 east of Atlanta. |
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Rockdale County, Georgia |
| September 27, 2004 |
In a timeline released by the Alpharetta-based company, ChoicePoint uncovers suspicious activity in some West Coast small business accounts |
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ChoicePoint scandal |
| October 12, 2004 |
Security officials with ChoicePoint contact Los Angeles police, looking for help with fraudulent accesses to its files, according to a timeline released by the company. |
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ChoicePoint scandal |
| February 16, 2005 |
ChoicePoint announces that a credit scandal previously believed to have only affected California residents actually affects people from across the United States. |
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ChoicePoint scandal |
| February 16, 2005 |
2004-2005 hockey season cancelled over contract dispute. |
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Atlanta Thrashers |
| February 24, 2005 |
Federal prosecutors claim that they informed ChoicePoint of major data security problems at the firm in early October. Earlier, ChoicePoint had claimed that they had informed California authorities of suspicious activity on certain accounts. |
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ChoicePoint scandal |
| February 27, 2005 |
Jamie Foxx wins an Academy Award for his leading actor performance in Ray!, the self-titled biography of musician Ray Charles Robinson. Nominated for 5 Oscars, the movie scored two wins, for Foxx as Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role and for Best Achievement in Sound. It had been nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year |
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Ray Charles |
| April 17, 2005 |
Actor Chris Tucker (Rush Hour, The Fifth Element) is arrested for speeding on I-20 in Warren County following a brief chase. Tucker claimed he was on his way to church and did not realized the police were behind him. He was clocked doing 109mph in a 70 mph zone. |
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Chris Tucker |
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Warren County, Georgia |
| August 8, 2005 |
Alpharetta City Council votes to limit R. J. Kurey's communication as a council member to statements that have been factually checked by the city attorney. |
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Alpharetta City Council |
| August 16, 2005 |
Coretta Scott King, widow of Civil Rights activist Martin Luther King, suffers a major stroke. |
| September 23, 2005 |
In advance of Hurricane Rita striking the Texas coast, Gov. Sonny Perdue asks school systems to close for two day to minimize the impact of the storm on oil and gas supplies |
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Sonny Perdue |
| March 12, 2006 |
Korean car manufacturer Kia Motors announced that it would build a $1.2 billion facility in West Point, Georgia, their first American based plant. |
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Troup County, Georgia |
| January 2, 2007 |
Gaspar, a beluga whale, is euthanized at the Georgia Aquarium. He was suffering from a bone disease contracted before coming to the aquarium |
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Georgia Aquarium |
| July 17, 2007 |
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and others are indicted for dogfighting activities at Vick's Virginia estate. Federal authorities believed dogfighting had been ongoing for 6 years. |
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Michael Vick |
| March 5, 2008 |
Eve Carson of Athens, Georgia was killed during a "random act of violence." Carson, who attended Clark High School in Athens was serving as student body president for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill while majoring in biology and political science. |
| January 10, 2009 |
King Nut voluntarily recalls peanut butter manufactured for it by Peanut Corporation of America at their Blakely, Georgia plant. The Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture matches the salmonella from King Nut peanut butter to the illnesses in Minnesota |
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Early County, Georgia |
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Peanut Corporation of America Salmonella Outbreak |
| March 10, 2009 |
Actress-singer Mandy Moore (A Walk to Remember, License to Wed) weds rock musician Ryan Adams in a quiet ceremony in Savannah. |
| March 27, 2009 |
Omni National Bank, Atlanta, Georgia, was closed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was named Receiver. SunTrust Bank, Atlanta, Georgia, will act as paying agent for the insured deposits. |
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Bank Failures in Georgia |
| February 16, 2010 |
President Obama announced an $8.33 billion loan guarantee for the new Vogtle reactors (Wayneboro, Georgia), the first step in the Administration's push to jump-start the nuclear construction industry.
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Burke County, Georgia |
| March 10, 2010 |
In statements to police, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger admits he had "sexual contact" with a young Georgia College student and that she had "bumped her head" during the incident |
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Milledgeville assault |
| June 14, 2010 |
Fulton County judge Kimberly Adams dismissed the case against Neal Horsley because his actions against Elton John did not warrant criminal charges |
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Elton John Death Threats |
