March 23, 1956

1956 Testing the U.S. Supreme Court’s earlier decisions on integrating public schools, two African-Americans applied for admission to the Georgia State College of Business Administration. Their applications, however, were denied.

March 23, 1868

1868 Fiddlin’ John Carson was born in Fannin County, Ga. Carson was the first person to broadcast country music -- when he performed live on WSB radio in 1922. The next year, he became the first person to record country music .

March 23, 1998

1998 Athens, Georgia’s Kim Bassinger won the 1997 Academy Award for best-supporting actress for her role in "L.A. Confidential."

March 23, 1972

1972 In a split decision in the case of Gooding v. Wilson, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Georgia statute making unprovoked use of "opprobrious words or abusive language, tending to cause a breach of the peace" a misdemeanor crime was unconstitutionally vague in violation of the 1st and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

March 23, 1734

1734 James Oglethorpe sailed from Savannah aboard the man-of-war Aldborough for Charleston, where he would catch another ship for London. His return to England was prompted by the desire of other Trustees to have him report more completely on the state of affairs in the colony. In particular, they were concerned with Oglethorpe’s lack of communication and what was perceived as excessive expenditures. In a bit of showmanship, Oglethorpe decided to bring a contingent of Yamacraw Indians with him. So aboard the Aldborough with Oglethorpe were chief Tomochichi, Senauki (Tomochichi’s wife), Toonahowi (Tomochichi’s great nephew and successor), five Yamacraw warriors, and John Musgrove (who would interpret). The voyage to Charleston took a week, after which they waited until May 7 to catch a ship to London.

March 23, 1938

1938 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered a speech [see text] in Gainesville, GA. The speech was ostensibly to celebrate the rededication of Gainesville’s Courthouse Square, which had been destroyed by tornadoes two years earlier. But Roosevelt used the occasion to launch a veiled attack on Georgia Senator Walter George, making this one of the few controversial speeches he made in the state of Georgia. This marked the beginning of Roosevelt’s thirty-second visit to his "second home."

March 23, 1861

1861 Meeting in Savannah, Georgia’s Secession Convention adopted a proposed new state constitution for Georgia -- the Constitution of 1861. The convention voted to submit the constitution to the public for ratification on the first Tuesday in July (which marked the first time Georgia voters were allowed to vote on the state constitution). Following this action, the convention adjourned.

March 23, 1738

1738 At the urging of William Stephens, a committee of the Trustees recommended adopting a modified form of female inheritance in Georgia. However, at the April 12 meeting of the Trustees, James Oglethorpe led the opposition to changing the tail male policy.

March 23, 1938

1938 Atlanta politician Maynard Jackson was born in Dallas, Texas. Jackson was the nephew of famed opera singer Mattiwilda Dobbs, who sang at his inauguration as mayor in 1974. He attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, where he was admitted at age fourteen as a Ford Foundation Early Admissions Scholar. He studied history and political science at Morehouse, graduating in 1956. He earned a law degree from North Carolina Central University in 1964 and held several legal positions before he actively entered politics. After serving as vice-mayor of Atlanta, he was elected to consecutive terms as mayor, running from 1974-1982. He was elected to another term in 1989. In 1990 he established the Maynard Jackson Youth Foundation to aid disadvantaged children of Atlanta. In 1994, Jackson retired from elective politics and began practicing law in Atlanta. He suffered a heart attack visiting Washington D.C. and died June 23, 2003.

March 23, 1990

1990 The U.S. Postal Service issued a 25-cent stamp commemorating the movie "Gone With the Wind."

March 23, 1916

1916 Governor Nathaniel Harris stayed in touch with Augusta’s mayor constantly by phone, saying the state was prepared to help in any way possible after the devastating fire the previous day.