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Search Our Georgia History

July 25, 1498	In a letter written by Pedro de Ayala, sent to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, he protested that the "new-found-land" of Henry VII had been discovered by "Genoese like Columbus" and was within the realm of the Spanish monarchy. Apparently, John Cabot had sailed far enough south by this time for Ayala, then in the Carribean, to know where he was.
June 24, 1521	Francisco Gordillo, sailing on orders of Lucas Vazques de Ayllon, lands somewhere in the vicinity of present-day southern South Carolina. He captures some 60 Indians at a place he calls Chicora.
June 12, 1523	Lucas Vazques de Ayllon signs a contract with the Spanish crown to explore the coast of today's Southeastern Unitedd States.
May 3, 1525	Pedro de Quejo lands at the Rio de la Cruz (River of the Cross), builds a stone pillar and heads north towards the site of Gordillo's earlier landing, Chicora
September 29, 1526	The first colony on mainland America is established by Lucas Vazques de Ayllon. Recent research has led some to believe the location of the settlement to be on Georgia's Sapelo Island
October 18, 1526	Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon, born in Toledo, Spain, dies in the colony he started less than a month earlier.
March 7, 1540	Hernando deSoto reaches the Capachequi River (now called the Flint River) in the general vicinity of Bainbridge
	Decatur County, Georgia
	Hernando deSoto
July 6, 1565	In a letter known as "Declaracion de lo que vino del la Florida," Pedro Menendez de Aviles indicates that he is not sure whether the fort at St. John's is English, French or both.
	Rene Goulaine De Laudonniere
March 25, 1584	Queen Elizbeth grants a charter to Sir Walter Raleigh to establish the first English colony in the New World. Rather than sailing due west from England and landing in Newfoundland, Raleigh opts to head south, then turn west at the Canary Islands, along the route first established by Columbus. Once in the New World, Raleigh followed the coast north (sailing past Georgia) to Roanoke Island.
September 2, 1685	From the southern Chattahoochee River Dr. Henry Woodward pens a note to Captain Antonio Matheos, the in pursuit of wily Carolinian, "I am sorry that I came with such a small following that I cannot await your arrival. Be informed that I came to get acquainted with the country, its mountains, the seacoast and Apalache. I trust in God that I shall meet you gentlemen later when I have a larger following.
October 1, 1702	During Queen Anne's War, James Moore leads an expedition against the coastal missions between South Carolina and St. Augustine (Spanish capitol of Florida). This effectively ended the Spanish presence along the coast of Georgia. Moore captured and held the city of St. Augustine, only to be driven from the city by the Spanish fleet.
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 13, 1713	Treaty of Utrecht, end of the War of Spanish Succession (Queen Anne's War).
October 2, 1729	Ben Franklin acquires the Pennsylvania Gazette
	Benjamin Franklin
April 3, 1730	Sir Alexander Cuming receives the Cherokee, who "submit to the King of England." This took place at Nequesee and included Moytoy, who was crowned emperor of the Cherokee on the same day.
May 10, 1733	Sir Joseph Jekyll appeals to the House of Commons for 10,000 pounds to support the colony of Georgia. He receives the amount requested.
July 11, 1733	Aboard a ship of Jews who arrive in Georgia without the knowledge of the Trustees is Dr. Samuel Nunis. The medical doctor is frequently credited with saving the colony of Georgia by sucessfully treating widespread sickness.
June 13, 1735	Oglethorpe and the Trustees discuss Christian Priber's request to embark to Georgia. Since nothing is noted, it was probably approved.
	Christian Priber
August 7, 1737	John Wesley refuses to give communion to Sophey Hopkey, a local settler. Hopkey's husband sued Wesley for defamation. Other settlers who were unhappy with the Wesley's quickly leveled other charges.
	The Wesleys in Georgia
June 4, 1738	George William Federick born to Louis Frederick, Prince of Wales, St. James's Square, London
October 19, 1738	In a letter to the Trustees, Oglethorpe accuses Thomas Causton, former magistrate of Savannah, of "squandering the resources of the colony," and continues to state "If this had not happened the Colony...[would be] in a flourishing condition"
	City of Savannah, Georgia
	James Oglethorpe
January 11, 1740	Oglethorpe and his raiding party returns to Fort Frederica. He had entered the St. John's River and burned Fort Picolata. Then his men quickly captured Fort St. Francis de Pupa (variously spelled as St. Francis de Papa and San Francisco de Pupo), just over 20 miles from St. Augustine. He stations the Highland Rangers at Fort St. Francis de Pupa, under the command of Hugh MacKaye, Jr., and leaves an armed sloop.
February 12, 1740	Governor of Spanish Florida, Manuel de Montiano writes to Cuba requesting help in preventing a siege of St. Augustine
March 3, 1744	George Wells born, Queen Anne's County, Maryland
July 20, 1747	Mary Musgrove, with her husband Thomas Bosomworth and about 200 Creek Indian warriors, marches into Savannah and proclaims herself the Queen of the Creek. She demands payment for services rendered to the colony of Georgia.
	City of Savannah, Georgia
	Creek Indians
August 10, 1747	Queen of the Creeks, Mary Musgrove, claims ownership of much of Georgia, including the land from Savannah to Pipe Makers Bluff
	City of Savannah, Georgia
	Creek Indians
October 26, 1749	Petition requesting slavery is approved.
	Slavery in Georgia
November 17, 1756	Governor Reynolds reads a communique from Earl of Loudoun announcing the defeat of the English fleet at Oswego (N. Y.) . Georgia is advised to prepare for invasion from the nearby French during the French and Indian War.
August 16, 1763	Thomas Boone received the communiqué from the Board of Trade
December 4, 1766	Pending issuance of required stamps, the port of Savannah closes.
February 1, 1768	Forfeit date for the land granted to Wrightsboro Quakers. They were required to have 10 families to keep the grant. They had 40.
	James Wright
October 30, 1768	Leonard Covington born, Aquasco, Md.
	Leonard Covington
December 11, 1770	The king agrees to hold elections for new land acquired by Georgia.
June 9, 1775	Governor Wright requests the right to leave the colony the following Spring
	James Wright
August 8, 1775	Council of Safety requests that the election of officers by the militia be put into effect. Wright refuses.
	James Wright
December 31, 1775	Richard Montgomery dies while storming the city of Quebec, Canada. Daniel Morgan is taken prisoner.
	Daniel Morgan
February 13, 1776	Gov. Wright requests provisioning for the troops aboard the British ships at Tybee, promising the troops will not attack if provisioned
	James Wright
March 27, 1777	Unable to raise a militia large enough to accomplish his goals, Button Gwinnett requests the assistance of Continental commander Lachlan McIntosh to launch the Second Florida Expedition
	Button Gwinnett
	Second Florida Expedition
	Lachlan McIntosh
April 16, 1777	General Lachlan McIntosh begins to move his Continentals south. Gwinnett orders his militia to stay in Sunbury. When McIntosh finds out about Gwinnett's order he tries to draw supplies to which he is entitled from the quartermaster. Gwinnett has the quartermaster refuse the request.
	Lachlan McIntosh
	Button Gwinnett
	Second Florida Expedition
May 16, 1777	Button Gwinnett, with his second George Wells and Lachlan McIntosh, with his second Col. Joseph Habersham square off in a duel just east of Savannah, Georgia. At 12 paces (about 60 feet), the General and Gwinnett fire pistols. McIntosh sustains an wound in his leg while Gwinnett is shot in the hip. Unaware of the severity of Gwinnett's wound, McIntosh asks if Gwinnett wants to duel again.
	City of Savannah, Georgia
	Button Gwinnett
	Georgia and the American Revolution
	Lachlan McIntosh
November 15, 1777	The Continental Congress Committee of Thirteen, which included Button Gwinnett before his death, proposes the Articles of Confederation. They requested states be ready to ratify the Articles of Confederation by March 10, 1778
	Button Gwinnett
May 23, 1780	Following the fall of Augusta, Georgia's Executive Council requests that Governor Richard Howley leave the state to protect himself.
May 25, 1787	Constitutional Convention opens in Philadelphia when a quorum of state representatives arrives. William Few is the sole Georgian to be at the convention, so Georgia has no vote since its state ordinance requires two members to be present.
	Georgia, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution
October 26, 1787	The Georgia General Assembly decides to send the question of ratification to a special convention to be held in Augusta, Georgia.
	City of Augusta, Georgia
	Augusta Convention
May 3, 1790	U.S. Secretary of State says that Georgia has relinquished her right to treat with Indians
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
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
July 1, 1798	John Anthony Quitman born, Rhinebeck, New York
December 27, 1799	Walter Terry (W. T.) Colquitt is born, Halifax, Virginia
	W. T. Colquitt
	City of Colquitt
November 12, 1811	An American seaman, sailing under a French flag, begins a fight with local sailors who question his motives for sailing on a foriegn vessal. The fight explodes across Savannah's riverfront, begining three days of riots. The riots caused an international incident and the French began raiding American shipping.
	City of Savannah, Georgia
December 16, 1811	Earthquake shakes the state of Georgia
	Earthquakes that have struck Georgia
	Missouri earthquake shakes Georgia
January 23, 1812	Earthquake felt across Georgia, as far south as Augusta. Part of the New Madrid series of quakes
	Earthquakes that have struck Georgia
	City of Augusta, Georgia
	Missouri earthquake shakes Georgia
July 27, 1816	American troops under the command of Georgian Lt. Colonel Duncan L. Clinch destroy "The Negro Fort" on the Appalachicola River. Clinch, who commanded a combined force of U. S. soldiers, Georgia militia and Creek Indians fired on the fort with "hot shot," striking the magazine and killing 270 of the runaway slaves who occupied the fort. This incident is frequently cited as precipitating the First Seminole War. In 1818 General Jackson ordered Lt. James Gadsden to build a fort on the site of the "Negro Fort". Today the site is a Florida State Park known by that name.
January 11, 1820	Great Savannah Fire - helped by a high wind, fire destroyed most of the downtown area. When the fire reached Ellis Square it touched off gunpowder, spreading the fire throughout the city.
	City of Savannah, Georgia
June 29, 1820	George III, who ruled England during the American Revolution, dies. He had relinquished his duties as king of England to his son, King George IV, in 1811 because of extended illness.
May 20, 1824	Alfred Holt Colquitt born, Walton County, Georgia
	Walton County, Georgia
December 24, 1824	Alabama invites the Marquis de Lafayette, a hero of the Revolutionary War to visit the state
	Marquis de Lafayette
March 19, 1825	Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Montier, the Marquis de Lafayette, arrives in Savannah.
	City of Savannah, Georgia
	Marquis de Lafayette
March 21, 1825	In a ceremony on Johnson Square, the Marquis de LaFayette lays the cornerstone for a memorial dedicated to Revolutionary War hero General Nathanael Greene
	Nathanael Greene
	Marquis de Lafayette
March 27, 1825	Marquis de LaFayette spends the night at the Gachet house, Lamar County, Georgia
	Lamar County, Georgia
December 25, 1826	Jefferson Davis is confined to quarters at West Point during the "eggnog riot." He will later avoid court-martial because he was not in the room when Capt. Hitchcock entered it. He would enter it moments later and warn the cadets that Hitchcock was on his way.
	Jefferson Davis
January 1, 1827	Creek relinquish ceded land in western Georgia.
	Creek Indians
March 1, 1831	Georgia enacts a law requiring all white males who reside in the Cherokee Nation to swear an oath of allegiance
May 16, 1831	Governor Gilmer advises Samuel Worcester that the Georgia law requiring white men to take an oath of allegiance to state applies to everybody. In the same letter Gilmer advises Worcester that he has been relieved from his job as postmaster.
September 16, 1831	Eleven white missionaries are tried and found guilty in Lawrenceville, Georgia for violating Georgia law requiring an oath of allegiance from all white men working in the Cherokee Nation. This case would go to the Supreme Court.
	Augustin Smith Clayton
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
May 9, 1832	Treaty of Payne's Landing is signed. The treaty required that the Seminole Indians be removed to the west. A small band of the Seminoles lived in Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp.
	Okefenokee Swamp
December 3, 1835	John Quitman elected President of the Mississippi Senate, making him governor of the state until the next election.
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.
April 22, 1837	Equipment to be used at the U. S. Mint in Dahlonega is shipped from Philadelphia
	Dahlonega, Georgia
July 11, 1842	A portion of Land Lot 77 is donated by Samuel Mitchell for use by the Western and Atlantic Railroad. These 5 acres, known at the time as "State Square" are now part of Underground Atlanta and the site of the 0 mile marker for the W&ARR
	Atlanta, Georgia (through 1900)
	Western and Atlantic Railroad
July 1, 1846	John Quitman commissioned Brigadier General.
September 23, 1846	John Quitman receives a brevet to Major General for his actions during the Battle of Monterrey.
May 7, 1855	Walter Terry (W. T.) Colquitt dies on a trip from Columbus to Macon. He is 56.
	City of Macon, Georgia
	W. T. Colquitt
	City of Colquitt
February 25, 1856	Colquitt County created
	Creation of Georgia Counties
	Colquitt County, Georgia
July 17, 1858	John Quitman dies, on his plantation near Nachez, Mississippi
December 10, 1858	Quitman County created
	Creation of Georgia Counties
	Quitman County, Georgia
December 19, 1860	City of Colquitt chartered
	City of Colquitt
October 12, 1863	At the request of Braxton Bragg, Jeff Davis approves relieving Daniel Harvey Hill of command. Longstreet is detached and others who disagree with Bragg are reassigned
	Jefferson Davis
	James Longstreet
December 2, 1863	Following his defeat at Chattanooga, Braxton Bragg officially relinquishes command of the Army of Tennessee. General William Hardee assumes command.
	Civil War - 1863
November 12, 1864	Corse requests permission to destroy the towns of Cedartown, Van Wert and Buchanan, south of Rome. Sherman tells Corse to wait, effectively sparing the towns.
	March to the Sea
November 14, 1864	Sherman arrives at his Atlanta headquarters with some 45,000 troops. Some 15,000 more join him in the city.
	March to the Sea
November 20, 1864	Henry Slocum spares Madison, Georgia (Morgan County). Joshua Hill, who knew Sherman's brother John, was the last Confederate senator to leave Washington D. C., and had met Sherman during the Atlanta Campaign, rode out to meet Slocum and ask that the town be spared destruction. Slocum granted the request, ordering the town be spared. In spite of the order the town was heavily looted.
	Morgan County, Georgia
	March to the Sea
December 3, 1864	Sherman's Left Wing attempts to liberate the prisoner of war compound, Camp Lawton, north of Millen, Georgia, only to find it empty. Its 10,229 prisoners had been moved to temporary quarters in Thomasville (Thomas County) and Blackshear (Pierce County). Sherman orders the depot and a nearby hotel in Millen burned. Today the site is part of Magnolia Springs State Park
	Thomas County, Georgia
	Pierce County, Georgia
	March to the Sea
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
November 10, 1865	Henry Wirz (not Wirtz, as his name is frequently misspelled), commander of the Confederate prisoner of war garrison at Andersonville, is hung in Washington, D. C.
	Camp Sumter, Andersonville, Georgia
June 17, 1872	An intensity V (Modified Mercalli scale) earthquake strikes Milledgeville, Georgia
	Earthquakes that have struck Georgia
January 6, 1873	Fire destroys the courthouse in Miller County (Colquitt, GA), including all early records of the county
	City of Colquitt
November 1, 1875	Earthquake on the South Carolina/Georgia state line felt in Atlanta and Macon
	City of Macon, Georgia
	Earthquakes that have struck Georgia
August 16, 1876	At a convention held in Macon, Republicans nominate wealthy Atlanta businessman Jonathan Norcross to run for governor against Alfred Colquitt.
	City of Macon, Georgia
January 12, 1877	Alfred Holt Colquitt begins term as governor of Georgia
	Governors of Georgia, 1801-1900
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
October 17, 1879	Governor Alfred Colquitt signed a bill creating Georgia's first state flag, a blue field with 3 stripes, scarlet, white and scarlet.
December 18, 1879	Having moved from Augusta, Georgia (where it was known as the Augusta Institute), the Atlanta Baptist Seminary holds opening exercises. In attendance is Governor Alfred Colquitt and Georgia School Commissioner Gustavus Orr.
	Joseph Thomas Robert
September 19, 1881	Some commercial vehicles are required to display licenses
June 1, 1886	All Georgia railroads are required to regage to a width of 4' 81/2", to comply with the northern railroads. Prior to this time railroads in Georgia (and some other southern states) had been gaged at 5'0"
August 31, 1886	Earthquake shakes Georgia. With an epicenter near Charleston, South Carolina, this massive earthquake laid waste to the coastal colonial city. It was felt across much of the northern and eastern sections of Georgia and cracked the Tybee Lighthouse and moved the lens an inch and a half to the northeast.
	Earthquakes that have struck Georgia
January 4, 1887	Piedmont Driving Club (horses, not cars) in Atlanta is formed by 100 white men (a requirement to join the club)
	Piedmont Park
July 26, 1889	City of Colquitt incorporated.
	City of Colquitt
December 4, 1890	The charter of the Chickamauga Memorial Association is finalized and submitted to the Superior Court of Walker County, Georgia. The charter, which lasted for 20 years, allowed anyone to join the group for a lifetime fee of $5.00. The objective of the organization was to acquire land and honor those who fought at Chickamauga, the bloodiest two days of American history. This is the official start of what will become the Chickamauga National Military Park.
March 26, 1894	General Alfred Holt Colquitt dies, Washington D. C.
April 18, 1894	In a letter to Caroline Meriwether Goodlett, Anna Davenport Raines explains that both Nashville and Savannah have organizations called "Daughters of the Confederacy" and requesting permission to continue its use, unaware that the Savannah chapter had begun using the name first.
	City of Savannah, Georgia
January 1, 1897	Atlanta University and Tuskegee Institute square off in the first college football game between African-American schools. Atlanta University won.
May 16, 1901	The Chattanooga, Rome and Southern Railroad is acquired by the Central of Georgia Railroad
	Rome, Georgia
July 20, 1902	Fire sweeps Colquitt (Miller County)
	City of Colquitt
	Fire Destroys Colquitt, Georgia
October 18, 1902	East face of Rocky Face Mountain just west of Dalton, Georgia struck by an earthquake
	Whitfield County, Georgia
	Earthquakes that have struck Georgia
January 23, 1903	An intensity VI earthquake struck Savannah. Epicenter-Tybee Roads
	City of Savannah, Georgia
	Earthquakes that have struck Georgia
January 1, 1904	New courthouse opens for Miller County (Colquitt, GA)
	City of Colquitt
October 9, 1904	Miller County Courthouse (Colquitt, GA) destroyed by fire, apparently set on purpose.
	City of Colquitt
October 20, 1905	President Theodore Roosevelt visits Roswell (Roswell, Georgia history) and Atlanta (Atlanta, Georgia history). The President's train stopped at Chamblee (Roswell Station), where he boarded the train to Roswell. He crossed the Chattahoochee River and visited both Bulloch Hall and Roswell Square, where he made brief comments. Roosevelt then had lunch at the Piedmont Driving Club (now Piedmont Park) and spoke at Georgia Tech before leaving for Jacksonville, Florida later that evening.
	Atlanta, Georgia (1900-2000)
	Piedmont Park
January 1, 1908	Atlanta becomes a "dry" town. Liquor sales are restricted.
November 17, 1910	The Technique, Georgia Tech's Alumni magazine, begins publication
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.
June 20, 1912	An intensity V earthquake struck Savannah
	City of Savannah, Georgia
	Earthquakes that have struck Georgia
March 14, 1914	"Rather strong" earthquake struck the south-central area of Morgan County.
	Morgan County, Georgia
March 5, 1916	Earthquake strikes 30 miles southeast of Atlanta
	Earthquakes that have struck Georgia
June 26, 1918	Georgia ratifies the 18th Amendment (bans liquor)
	Georgia, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution
July 4, 1919	Fort Oglethorpe is designated as the headquarters for the Sixth Cavalry
September 6, 1921	The New York World began a series of expose articles on the Ku Klux Klan. Syndicated throughout the U.S., it only appeared in the Columbus Enquirer-Sun in Georgia.
	Ku Klux Klan in Georgia
	Columbus, Georgia
September 9, 1924	Army Air Service tells the city of Atlanta they must have a airfield in order to retain the headquarters of the Fourth Corps area
	Atlanta Municipal Airport
June 17, 1929	Delta Air Services inaugural flight from Dallas, Texas to Jackson, Mississippi, including a stop at Monroe, where the company was headquartered. The 427-mile flight was completed in about 5 hours
	Delta Air Lines
November 8, 1932	Georgia votes overwhelmingly for Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt for President. Roosevelt's frequent visits to Warm Springs, plus Eleanor's lineage had made him a popular figure in the state. Also elected to the U. S. House were Carl Vinson, Eugene Cox, Homer C. Parker, Malcolm Tarver, John Wood, Braswell D. Deen, Bryant T. Castellow, Emmett M. Owens and Robert Ramspeck.
	Franklin Delano Roosevelt
	Carl Vinson, Father of the Two Ocean Navy
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
January 19, 1938	A bill to legalized liquor in 16 Georgia counties is introduced in the legislature
February 29, 1940	Presentation banquet for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences where Gone With The Wind won 8 Oscars, a record which would stand for 16 years
	Gone With The Wind
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
July 2, 1942	Eighth Army Air Corps flies the first European mission of the USAAC (United States Army Air Corps). It is a low-level bombing run against a series of small air bases in the Netherlands. For some reason this date is frequently misquoted as July 4 and the location moved to the marshalling area at Rouen.
	Eighth Air Force
December 7, 1946	119 people lose their lives in the worst hotel disaster in the United States when Atlanta's Winecoff Hotel burned. The hotel had 15 stories, but Atlanta fire-fighting equipment could not handle any building taller than 8 stories
	Atlanta's Winecoff Hotel
	Atlanta, Georgia (1900-2000)
April 9, 1947	The "Journey of Reconciliation" began, testing the adherence to new integrated interstate bus rules throughout the South, including Georgia. First of a number of "Freedom Rides", as they would later be known, sponsored by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
	The Road to Integration
October 25, 1947	Secretary of the Interior declares Kennesaw Mountain NBP as "officially established." (The land acquisition, which had been challenged in court, was approved)
	Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
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.
June 1, 1948	France announces it will join Britain and the United States, and allow its quarter of Germany to merge with "Bizonia" and form "Trizonia" (West Germany)
	General Lucius D. Clay
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
January 1, 1952	Culminating a dream of Mayor William B. Hartsfield, Atlanta expands the city limits, annexing more than 118 square miles of land. Total population increased by more than 100,000 people and Atlanta rose from 32nd to the 23rd most populus city in the United States.
March 29, 1954	Secretary of the Navy Robert B. Anderson presents the Medal of Honor for Corporal Lee Hugh Phillips to his mother, Izora Cantrell. Phillips body is reinterred at the Marietta National Cemetery in Marietta, Georgia.
	Marietta, GA
	Corporal Lee Hugh Phillips
April 11, 1956	The Venable family signs a quit claim deed for the area encompassing Stone Mountain, giving it to Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial, Inc.
	Stone Mountain
April 5, 1957	Tornadoes strike Lamar, Schley, Macon, Peach, Warren, Columbia, Colquitt, Ware, and Chatham counties, killing 2 and injuring 6, with more than a million dollars in damage.
	Colquitt County, Georgia
	Columbia County, Georgia
	Georgia Tornadoes
	Lamar County, Georgia
	Schley County, Georgia
	Macon County, Georgia
	Peach County, Georgia
	Warren County, Georgia
	Ware County, Georgia
	Chatham County, Georgia
February 1, 1960	Four students walk up to the lunch counter at F. W. Woolworth's in Greensboro, North Carolina. After trying to order lunch they are asked to leave. The students begin a "sit-in," passively demanding equal treatment. The students are black; the lunch counter only served whites.
	The Road to Integration
March 16, 1960	Carolyn Quilloin was arrested after she sat down at the whites only counter in Levy's Department Store in Savannah. She was black.
	City of Savannah, Georgia
	The Road to Integration
January 9, 1961	Bootle stays his ruling forcing the University of Georgia to desegregate. Bootle's stay is ruled "improvidently granted" by an Atlanta judge. Vernon Jordan is told to escort Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes to UGA to register for class. Georgia Governor Earnest Vandiver, who is required by law to close integrated schools does so in a way that UGA can keep operating at least for a few days: He cuts off state funding.
	Donald L. Hollowell
	University of Georgia, Athens (UGA)
	Ernest Vandiver, Jr.
	The Road to Integration
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
January 17, 1963	Supreme Court hears arguments in Sanders v. Gray, which covers the county-unit system of voting violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
March 18, 1963	Supreme Court decides the county-unit system violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment (Sanders v. Gray)
March 12, 1964	Earthquake epicentered in tiny Haddock, Georgia, between Milledgeville and Macon
	Earthquakes that have struck Georgia
April 21, 1965	Lester Maddox makes a plea to all-white jury, asking them to acquit him of charges against him over an incident that occurred on July 3, 1964 at Maddox's Pickrick Restaurant. After 47 minutes of deliberation, they acquitted Maddox.
	Lester Maddox
April 17, 1967	Marquis Grissom born, Atlanta
	Marquis Grissom
April 23, 1970	James Dickey's work Deliverance is published. The work is loosely based on an incident that occurred when he paddled down the Coosawattee River between Ellijay and Carters (Quarters). The area in which it happened was to be flooded to form Carters Lake.
	James Dickey
October 26, 1970	With people like Bill Cosby and Coretta Scott King watching, Muhammad Ali defeats Jerry Quarry by a knockout in the 3rd round in front of a packed house of 5,000 at the old Municipal Auditorium in Atlanta
June 21, 1971	In Jenness v. Fortson the Supreme Court upholds Georgia's "5% Rule." The rule, passed in 1943, requires a new political party to secure signatures of registered voters equal to 5% of the voters in the previous election to secure a position on the ballot.
July 24, 1973	John Ehrlichman is questioned by Georgia Senator Herman Talmadge during the Watergate hearings.
July 18, 1974	Rosalynn Carter attends the groundbreaking for a new headquarters at the Georgia Botanical Gardens in Athens.
January 1, 1975	Headquarters of the Eighth Air Force moved to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana
	Eighth Air Force
April 18, 1975	The rail depot at Plains, Georgia opens as Jimmy Carter's campaign headquarters
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
December 14, 1977	Farmers, including many from Georgia, involved in the American Agriculture Movement stopped buying and selling products, as they look for "parity." The strike quickly fizzled
September 21, 1980	Presidential candidates Ronald Reagan (Republican) and John Anderson (Independent) square off in a debate without President Jimmy Carter
	Jimmy Carter
October 28, 1980	Democratic President Jimmy Carter and Republican nominee Ronald Reagan square off in a televised debate.
	Jimmy Carter
November 6, 1980	Georgia Senator Herman Talmadge requests a recount in the U. S. Senate race
May 22, 1981	Hearing a splash on the James Jackson Parkway (Cobb Drive) bridge, police stop a car driven by Wayne Williams and question the susect.
	Atlanta Child Murders
September 22, 1981	The Home Depot launches its initial public offering (IPO) on the NASDAQ Exchange. Its price will jump to 20 its offering price within two years.
May 1, 1982	Kennesaw, Georgia passes a city law that required a head of household to maintain a firearm and ammunition, in response to a law passed by Morton Grove, IL., banning the possession of firearms
July 13, 1983	Georgia is required to pay $3 million dollars to black workers who were denied promotions at the Central State Hospital in Milledgeville
October 23, 1983	While staying at the Augusta National Golf Club President Reagan is told of the car bomb attack on the U. S. Marine headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon
	City of Augusta, Georgia
January 2, 1984	Georgia defeated the Texas Longhorns 10 - 9 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. With Texas leading late in the 4th quarter on three field goals, the Longhorns fumbled and Georgia recovered. Georgia QB John Lastinger tied the game on an option play and Kevin Butler kicked an extra point. Texas had been ranked #2
	Vince Dooley
	University of Georgia's post-season appearances
April 19, 1984	The Home Depot moves from the NASDAQ to the New York Stock Exchange
March 31, 1986	First Union acquires Citizens Dekalb Bank of Clarkston, Georgia
	Wachovia and First Union Banks
October 1, 1986	First Union acquires Georgia State Bankshares, Inc., Atlanta
	Wachovia and First Union Banks
November 1, 1986	First Union completes the acquisition of First Railroad and Banking Company of Georgia, Augusta
	Wachovia and First Union Banks
February 9, 1987	Bill Elliott sets a track record at Daytona, qualifying at 210.364 miles per hour
	Bill Elliott
April 22, 1987	Change of venue request in trial of Jim Williams
	Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
July 21, 1988	The New York Times acquires The Gwinnett Daily News (Norcross), Forsyth County News (Cummings) and the Winder News.
May 9, 1989	Jim Williams is acquitted
	Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
January 31, 1991	House votes to put up the question of instituting a Georgia lottery to the voters
	Georgia Lottery
February 8, 1991	Senate votes to put up the question of instituting a Georgia lottery to the voters
	Georgia Lottery
November 3, 1992	William Clinton wins Georgia, with George Bush second and Ross Perot third; Wyche Fowler wins the popular vote for U. S. Senate, but fails to gain the required majority, forcing a run-off against Paul Coverdell. Cynthia McKinney is elected to become the first black woman to serve in the U. S. House of Representatives from the state of Georgia.
	Paul Coverdell
	Cynthia McKinney
January 15, 1993	First Union completes acquisition of Decatur Federal, Decatur, Georgia
	Wachovia and First Union Banks
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
	Georgia Lottery
June 11, 1993	Moose Moss Aquatic Center is dedicated in Moultrie, Georgia
	Colquitt County, Georgia
August 12, 1994	First Union acquires three branches of the Cobb Federal Savings Association
	Wachovia and First Union Banks
August 8, 1995	First Union acquires Home Federal Savings Bank, Rome
	Wachovia and First Union Banks
	Rome, Georgia
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.
	City of Augusta, Georgia
	Gone With The Wind
March 15, 1997	Rep. Bob Barr writes Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, requesting a review of Clinton and Gore campaign financing problems and if they might lead to impeachment. It is the first time that formal steps are taken to impeach Clinton
December 3, 1997	Authorities discovered more than a quarter ounce of marijuana in the underpants of state senator Ralph David Abernathy III (D-Atlanta)
	Ralph David Abernathy III
December 19, 1997	Charges of obstructing a police officer are dropped against Georgia quarterback Mike Bobo.
September 29, 1998	OutKast releases Aquemini
	OutKast
October 8, 1998	Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin accepts design of "Georgia Quarter."
March 22, 1999	Delta Air Lines acquires Atlanta-based ASA
	Delta Air Lines
May 7, 2000	Mary Ann Stephens of Toccoa is shot to death outside a Ramada Inn in Jacksonville while on vacation with her husband. The incident received national attention and resulted in an award-winning documentary on the arrest and acquittal of the original suspect.
December 4, 2001	OutKast releases "Big Boi and Dre Present OutKast, compiling songs from the Atlanta-based La Face label:"Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik" (1994), "ATLiens" (1996), "Aquemini" (1998) and "Stankonia" (2000).
	OutKast
September 21, 2002	A man is killed outside an Atlanta area liquor store. This killing will eventually be tied to the Virginia sniper case
March 23, 2003	Ronald D. Young, Jr. of Lithia Springs is shot down during heavy fighting in central Iraq
	Ronald D. Young, Jr.
April 2, 2003	Winners of the George Foster Peabody Awards were announced by the University of Georgia's Henry Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Among the locally important awards: "Terror on Tape," CNN Productions, Atlanta; examination of training videos made by al-Qaida members. "Door to Door," TNT starring William H. Macy in the true story of Bill Porter who battled cerebral palsy. Macy also co-wrote the script
	Peabody Awards
April 13, 2003	Chief Warrant Officer Ronald D. Young, Jr. is freed by Marines who rescued the downed Apache helicopter pilot from his Iraqi captors a few miles south of Tikrit, Iraq
	Ronald D. Young, Jr.
April 29, 2003	Just before 5 a.m. a moderate earthquake, rated 4.9 on the Richter Scale, shook most of the northwest corner of Georgia, south to Atlanta. The epicenter was located in Menlo, Georgia, about 37 miles south of Chattanooga.
	Earthquakes that have struck Georgia
June 13, 2003	Dumb and Dumberer, a "prequel" to Dumb and Dumber is released. It was filmed in Marietta and Atlanta
	Marietta, GA
	Movies filmed in Georgia
November 11, 2003	Stephen Cooke of Roswell, Georgia, arrived at Georgia Lottery headquarters with one winning ticket and realized that he purchased another tickets with the same combination. He walked away with 26 million dollars
	Georgia Lottery
December 11, 2003	Death penalty requested in the Eric Rudolph case by Attorney-General John Ashcroft
	Eric Rudolph and the Atlanta Area bombings
January 1, 2004	Georgia Bulldogs (#11) defeat Purdue (#12) in the Capital One Bowl (formerly the Citrus Bowl) in Orlando, FL. With the game tied at the end of the 4th quarter, courtesy of a Purdue field goal with 49 seconds remaining, capping an astounding 24-point comeback by Purdue. On the first series of plays in overtime, Georgia decided to go in a fourth and one situation, scoring the winning touchdown.
May 21, 2004	Georgia Senator Zell Miller, retiring at the end of this term, announces he will not teach at his alma mater, Young Harris College in Young Harris, Georgia. Professor David Franklin penned a letter the Senator labeled as "vitrolic." Miller compared the enviroment at the college to Washington, D. C., and stated that he would not "put up with this kind of vitriol." In the letter, Franklin bitterly complained about the HOPE scholarship funding and Miller's stand on Iraq prisoner abuse.
	Zell Miller
	Towns County, Georgia
June 8, 2004	Start of G8 summit on Sea Island, Georgia includes leaders from The United States of America (George W Bush), French Republic (Jacques Chirac), Russian Federation (Vladimir Putin), United Kingdom (Tony Charles Lynton Blair), Republic of Italy (Silvio Berlusconi), Federal Republic of Germany (Gerhard SchrÃ¶der), Japan (Junichiro Koizumi), and Canada (Paul Martin). Prime Minister of Ireland, His Excellency Bertie Ahern, T.D., attended the Sea Island Summit in his capacity as President of the Council of the European Union
	Glynn County, Georgia
October 26, 2004	ChoicePoint CEO Derek Smith and President Douglas Curling have ChoicePoint's board approve the 10b5-1 sale of 737,380 shares of stock. Rule 10b5-1 requires that the plan be adopted while the executive does not possess material nonpublic knowledge.
	ChoicePoint scandal
October 27, 2004	During a sting operation in California, Alpharetta-based ChoicePoint faxed information to Olatunji Oluwatosin, a Nigerian national accused in one of the largest identity theft scandals in United States history. Oluwatosin was arrested at a Kinko's store after receiving a fax from the information-gathering spin-off of Equifax
	ChoicePoint scandal
February 8, 2005	Alpharetta-based ChoicePoint informs 35,000 California residents by mail that their personal information may have been taken in an identity theft scam. California is the only state to require reporting these crimes to consumers (state law SB 1386).
	ChoicePoint scandal
February 21, 2005	ChoicePoint confirms that criminals gained access to records for about 145,000 people, allowing them to see information such as Social Security numbers, date of birth and driver's license numbers. It is one of the largest cases identity thefts ever reported. Lt. Robert Costa of the Southern California High Tech Task Force reiterated that the unit believed the figure was closer to 500,000 and stated that ChoicePoint has hindered the investigation by failing to provide information requested in search warrants issued in November and December.
	ChoicePoint scandal
March 23, 2005	A Florida state court of appeals refuses to order the reinsertion of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube as requested by her parents, the Schindlers'. They petition for the entire panel of Eleventh Circuit judges (Atlanta) to rehear their case to reinsert a feeding tube into Terri Schiavo. The Court refuses to hear the case, letting the lower court ruling stand. Following the decision, The Supreme Court of the United States refused to hear the appeal, affirming the decision of the lower court.
	Terri Schiavo
April 18, 2005	Genarlow Wilson is convicted of having sex with a minor under the age of consent at a party in 2003. He had been acquitted of an earlier rape charge from the same party.
	Genarlow Wilson
April 27, 2005	Duluth, Georgia police, assisted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, state police and FBI, along with friends of Jennifer Wilbanks and concerned citizens, begin search a 5.5 square mile area for the missing woman. Among those searching are members of the wedding party.
	Jennifer Wilbanks, The Runaway Bride
April 30, 2005	At 1:30 am Jennifer Wilbanks calls her fiance John Mason and tells him she has been kidnapped. Authorities trace the phone call to a 7-11 in Albequerque, New Mexico. Local enforcement agents pick her up and take her to the Albequerque PD station, where she is questioned by the FBI and released. They had determined that no kidnapping took place.
	Jennifer Wilbanks, The Runaway Bride
April 30, 2005	Chamblee, Georgia police stop a 1992 Lexus with paper tags. Suspicious of the driver, police took him in for questioning. When they ran his prints they found Ernest Morris was wanted in connection with a triple murder in Philadelphia.
August 26, 2005	Just before coming ashore near Miami, Tropical Storm Katrina becomes a hurricane. It crosses the peninsula quickly and enters the Gulf of Mexico.
	Hurricane Katrina
September 30, 2005	Six people are killed, a woman is assaulted and four others are seriously injured in a string of brutal attacks in trailer parks in the city of Tifton and Colquitt County, Georgia
	Colquitt County, Georgia
October 4, 2005	Tropical storm Tammy comes ashore in Northeast Flordia, quickly moving into southeastern Georgia. High winds and heavy rain cause problems througout the state over the next two days.
October 27, 2005	In a brief order the 11th US Court of Appeals denied a request from Georgia to throw out a lower court injunction barring enforcement of the state's new Voter ID law
November 23, 2005	The Georgia Aquarium, the world's largest, opens in Atlanta
	Georgia Aquarium
March 29, 2006	Formal request is made to the Georgia Supreme Court to remove Southwest Georgia Chief Judge Rucker Smith following his arrest on assault charges
	Rucker Smith
April 17, 2006	Georgiaâ€™s Judicial Qualification Commission postpones a hearing to remove Rucker Smith from office pending outcome of his assault trial
	Rucker Smith
May 4, 2006	Jury acquits Judge Rucker Smith in an assault case that drew state-wide attention
	Rucker Smith
	Rucker Smith
October 25, 2006	Coca-Cola CEO Neville Isdell announced the company would donate 2.5 acres of prime real estate adjacent to the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coke for a new Civil Rights Museum.
November 26, 2006	Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick makes an obscene gesture to hometown fans at the Georgia Dome.
	Michael Vick
	The Georgia Dome
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
	Georgia Aquarium
January 11, 2007	Ralph the whale shark dies unexpectedly at the Georgia Aquarium
January 17, 2007	A TSA agent retrieves a water bottle thrown out by Atlanta Falcons QB Micheal Vick and sends it to be tested. Vick waffled over whether to put it in his checked luggage or throw it away.
	Michael Vick
January 22, 2007	The Florida Attorney-General's office decides not to press charges for possession of marijuana against Falcons QB Michael Vick.
	Michael Vick
May 25, 2007	Lawyer Andrew Speaker is quarantined by federal officials
	Georgia TB patient
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.
	Michael Vick
August 20, 2007	According to his attorney, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick reached a plea agreement on dogfighting charges that had all but destroyed his football career.
	Michael Vick
December 1, 2007	Marina, the Georgia Aquarium's ailing beluga whale, died about 2 AM
	Georgia Aquarium
March 14, 2008	A strong tornado strikes the Georgia World Congress Center, Phillips Arena, The Equitable Building, and the Fulton Bag and Cotton Mill (now upscale condos). Nearby, the Georgia Dome suffers damage while the Southeastern Conference men's basketball tournament is being held inside. Numerous minor injuries and one life-threatening injury are reported.
	The Georgia Dome
	2008 Georgia Bulldogs Basketball
	2008 Georgia tornado outbreak
	Cobb County, Georgia
	Fulton County, Georgia
	DeKalb County, Georgia
	Georgia World Congress Center
	Georgia Tornadoes
July 29, 2008	Natural Resources Defense Council rated Georgia's beaches highest in Water Quality and Safety of all Southeastern states. Several St. Simons and Jekyll Island beaches never exceeded federal guidelines for pollution.
October 29, 2008	Delta completes its acquisition of Northwest Airlines, pending judicial review
	Delta Air Lines
December 12, 2008	Haven Trust Bank in Duluth, Georgia was closed Friday by the Georgia Department of Banking, which named the FDIC as receiver. The FDIC immediately transferred the deposits to Branch Banking & Trust (BB&T), headquartered in Winston-Salem.
	Bank Failures in Georgia
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.
September 5, 2009	17-year old Melanie Oudin of Marietta defeats seeded Maria Sharapova at the U. S. Open. Oudin will eventually lose in the quarter finals.
	Marietta, GA
November 10, 2009	A federal grand jury returned indictments against 4 people for the attack on the RBS WorldPay system headquartered in Atlanta
	RBS WorldPay Hacked

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