September 20, 1565

1565 Pedro Menendez de Aviles and his Spanish force destroyed Fort Caroline and killed most of its French Huguenot defenders. Located on the St. Johns River, the French fort was not located in present-day Georgia. Nevertheless, it fell in the Spanish claim that included Georgia. Its loss effectively eliminated French efforts to colonize the eastern Atlantic seaboard of North America.

September 20, 1863

1863 The Battle of Chickamauga raged all day near Ringgold, Georgia. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee was victorious--but at a terrible price. Union commander Rosecrans retreated the field leaving his army behind under Gen. George Thomas, whose defense of Snodgrass Hill lead to his nickname of the "Rock of Chickamauga." Thomas’s forces held their position until nightfall, when they retreated back to Chattanooga. Total casualties for Confederate forces were 18,454 (including Brig. Gen. James Deshler, who was killed in battle, and Benjamin Helm, who was mortally wounded), compared to 16,170 Union casualties (including brigadier general William Lytle, who was mortally wounded). While the battle was considered a Confederate victory, Bragg subsequently was criticized for allowing retreating Union forces to escape.

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September 20, 1863

1863 Confederate Gen. James Deshler was killed in the Battle of Chickamauga in north Georgia. [For biographical information on Deshler, see Feb. 18 entry.]

September 20, 1887

Georgia cities and towns incorporated by acts approved on Sept. 20: 1887 Bartow (Jefferson County) and Loganville (Walton County)

September 20, 1916

1916 The first session of present-day Oglethorpe University began in Atlanta with a freshman class of 48 students.

September 20, 1926

1926 - Franklin D. Roosevelt arrived in Warm Springs, Georgia, for his fifth visit to the state of Georgia. On this trip he brought his mother along for her first visit to Warm Springs.

September 20, 1958

1958 Martin Luther King Jr. was stabbed in the chest by a deranged black woman in New York City.

September 20, 1972

1972 Playing at home, the Atlanta Braves had an inning they will never forget. In the second inning of a game against the Houston Astros, the Braves got 12 hits -- a club record. More importantly, they scored a club-record 13 runs in the inning (five of which were driven in by Felix Millan).

September 20, 1976

1976 Playboy magazine released its interview with Jimmy Carter in which he admitted that he had lusted in his heart for women other than wife Rosalynn. In the interview Carter had discussed the almost impossibly strict standards of his Southern Baptist faith, saying "I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times." The quote caused a national stir for several days, but obviously did not cost Carter the election in November.

September 20, 1980

1980 Georgia played Clemson in its third football game of its 1980 national championship season. This was a particularly bitter battle for several reasons-- the schools are very near each other geographically, both played hard-nosed defense and emphasized the running game, and Clemson had been the other finalist in the recruitment of Herschel Walker. Clemson came into the game intent on stopping Walker. They were successful to a point in that Walker didn’t score, but he did gain 121 yards. But, it was Georgia defensive back and punt return specialist Scott Woerner who was the hero of the game. Woerner returned the first punt of the game 67 yards for a touchdown. He later returned an interception 98 yards to set up another touchdown. Clemson rallied to within four points of Georgia, but with time running out Georgia linebacker Frank Ros tipped a pass into the air, and free safety Jeff Hipp outfought a Clemson receiver for the ball on the Georgia one-yard line. Clemson still had time to make one final push if they could hold Georgia without a first down -- but they didn’t count on Herschel Walker’s speed. The Johnson County running back outran several blitzing Clemson defenders to the corner and sprinted for a twenty-yard gain. The run gave Georgia a first down and time to run out the clock for a hard fought 20-16 victory.

September 20, 1992

1992 In the 6th inning, David Justice, Brian Hunter, and Ron Gant hit consecutive home runs -- the seventh time in Braves history. Before the inning was over, however, Mark Lemke homered to tie the franchise record.

September 20, 1997

1997 At ceremonies in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center, four new members were inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame: the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the late Dave Prater of the rhythm-and-blues duo Sam and Dave, the late Dennis "Boots" Woodall, and R&B singer/songwriter William Bell.

September 20, 1998

1998 Though the fight began late on the night of Sept. 19, it didn’t end until 12:15 a.m. on Sept. 20. At the Georgia Dome, Atlanta boxer Evander Holyfield successfully defended his IBF/WBA heavyweight title in a 12-round unanimous -- though surprisingly close -- decision over challenger Vaugh Bean.