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Winner of two 2013 Emmy Awards from the Southeast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

Today in Georgia History
is a joint collaboration of the Georgia Historical Society & Georgia Public Broadcasting.

20th Century

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July 30, 1961

Laurence Fishburne

He is the first African-American to play Othello in a major movie, following in the footsteps of Lawrence Olivier and Orson Welles.

Laurence Fishbur...
July 31, 1960

Atlanta Motor Speedway

For those who like making continuous left-hand turns, it’s the place to be. One of the oldest stops on the NASCAR circuit, the Atlanta Motor Speedway, held i...
December 27, 1956

Jackie Robinson

“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” The words of baseball great and civil rights pioneer Jackie Robinson, who was born to ...
February 13, 1956

Georgia Flag Change

It was not a flag that all Georgians could rally around. On this date in 1956, Governor Marvin Griffin signed legislation to change the Georgia flag to one that...
January 11, 1955

Marvin Griffin

Marvin Griffin ran for governor as a staunch segregationist, but when it came to actually defying federal orders, as he said, “being in jail kind of crimps a ...
March 07, 1951

Ezzard Charles

The heavyweight boxing champion called the "Cincinnati Cobra" was actually a Georgia native.

Ezzard Charles was born in Lawrenceville in 1921 and mo...
April 29, 1950

Dobbins Air Force Base Dedicated

$162 million. That's the economic impact that Dobbins Air Force Base brings to Marietta. Not bad for what started out in 1941 as a small airstrip called Ricken...
March 08, 1949

Television Broadcasting in Georgia

Reaching for the TV remote is such a habit now, it’s hard to imagine Atlanta viewers were once thrilled to have two TV stations to watch. In late 1948, WSB-TV...
November 17, 1948

Three Governors Controversy

It was one of the most bizarre political episodes in American history. For a brief period of time in 1947, Georgia had three governors.

Eugene Talma...
March 11, 1948

Roy Barnes

He was Georgia’s 80th governor and the only one to win a Profile in Courage award. Roy Barnes was born in Mableton in 1948 and at age 26 won a seat in the Geo...

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