It Happened in Atlanta: Remarkable Events That Shaped History [Paperback]

This book offers an inside look at over 30 interesting and unusual episodes that shaped the history of Atlanta.John McKayspent 15 years as a firefighter and paramedic before turning his interests into teaching and writing history. His main inspirations were his great-grandfathers on both sides of his family, Confederate veterans almost killed or badly wounded during the war. For the past fifteen years, he has been a freelance writer and photographer for commercial magazines, newspapers, and academic and literary publications. He lives in Alpharetta, Georgia.1. The “Pitch-Tree”

2. Terminus Becomes Marthasville, 1843

3. Battle of East Atlanta, July 22, 1864

4. Sherman Burns Atlanta, November 11, 1864

5. Founding of Atlanta University, 1865

6. Morris Rich Opens His Store, 1867

7. Invention of Coca-Cola, 1886

8. Cotton States Exposition, 1895

9. Race riots & Auburn Ave., September 22, 1906

10. First Flight in Atlanta, 1910

11. The Met Arrives in Atlanta, 1910

12. Lynching of Leo Frank, 1913

13. The Klan Reborn, 1915

14. Cumberland vs. Ga. Tech, 1916

15. WSB’s first broadcast

16. Frank Gordy open The Varsity, 1928

17. Premiere of GWTW, Dec 15, 1939

18. The Band of Brothers march through Atlanta, 1943

19. The Deadliest Hotel Fire, 1946

20. The Temple Bombing, 1958

21. Lenox Square opens, 1959

22. MLK Funeral, 1968

23. The 1973 Ice Storm

24. Atlanta Child Murders, late 1970s

25. The Limelight Disco Opens, 1980

26. Hosea Williams Marches in Forsyth County, 1987

27. Mohammed Ali lights the Olympic torch, 1996

28. Aerial rescue at Atlanta Mill Fire, 1999

29. Demon in the Freezer, September 11, 2001

30. The First Atlanta Tornado, 2008