February 2, 1733

1733 James Oglethorpe presented gifts to the Yamacraw Indians in appreciation for being allowed to settle the Georgia colonists on Yamacraw Bluff. [Note: Letters, diaries, and records of this time show dates based on the Julian calendar (referred to as "Old Style") then in effect in Britain and the American colonies. The Gregorian calendar ("New Style") was adopted in 1752. Thus, Feb. 2, 1732/33 (Old Style) represents Feb. 13, 1733 under our calendar now in effect.]

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February 2, 1848

1848 Following the Jan. 29 election of Moses W. Formwalt as Atlanta’s first mayor and six city council members, the Atlanta city council held its first meeting in the store of Jonas Smith, one of the new council members.

February 2, 1870

1870 The Georgia General Assembly ratified the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits denying the right to vote because of race or color.

February 2, 1899

1899 Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie announced that he would donate $100,000 to give Atlanta a public library, providing the city would provide a site and agree to spend at least $5,000 per year maintaining the library. [See letter below in "In Their Own Words . . ." section.] On the following March 2, the city agreed to his offer.

February 2, 1923

1923 Poet and novelist James Dickey was born in Atlanta, Georgia. While Dickey’s most famous work was his novel Deliverance, he was primarily a poet. His poetry was published in several volumes: Buckdancer’s Choice (which won the National Book Award for Poetry in 1966), Into the Stone, Drowning with Others, The Eagle’s Mile, and The Whole Motion: Collected Poems (published in 1994). Dickey died January 19, 1997 in Columbia, S.C.

February 2, 1943

Actions affecting Georgia cities and towns approved on Feb. 2: 1943 Worth (Turner County) charter repealed

February 2, 1956

1956 In the Georgia House of Representatives, S.B. 98 (which would change Georgia’s state flag) had its first reading and then was sent to the Committee on Historical Research. This was a Thursday, and both houses of the General Assembly voted to adjourn until Monday.

February 2, 1969

1969 Atlanta Constitution editor and publisher Ralph McGill died in Atlanta.

February 2, 1982

1982 Jim Williams was convicted of the murder of Danny Hansford in Savannah. The case was dramatized in the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, later made into a movie.

February 2, 1988

1988 The Georgia Senate approved a House resolution ratifying the 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which provides that no law changing the compensation of any member of Congress can take effect until an election of representatives shall have taken place. Gov. Joe Frank Harris would not sign the joint resolution until March 28, though the U.S. Secretary of State recognizes the day of ratification as the day the second house of a bicamerial legislature approves the amendment -- not the day that a governor signs a joint or concurrent resolution.

February 2, 1992

1992 Atlanta-born "Miss America" host and actor Bert Parks died in La Jolla, California.

February 2, 2000

2000 Willie B., Zoo Atlanta’s famous resident gorilla, died.

February 2, 2002

2002 Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank purchased the Atlanta Falcons.