March 29, 1737

1737 After learning that Parliament had granted the Georgia Trustees only ??10,000 for the coming year -- which was half of what they had requested as essential -- the disappointed Trustees decided to write James Oglethorpe to abandon his Frederica settlement and instead settle the colonists on the Ogeechee River or at Savannah.

March 29, 1788

1788 Charles Wesley, who briefly served as James Oglethorpe’s secretary on St. Simons Island -- but who is better known for his subsequent achievements as a composer of hymns and a co-founder of Methodism, died in England at age 80.

March 29, 1916

1916 In Augusta, the Committee of Fifteen, charged with organizing the city’s relief effort after the disastrous fire of March 22, reported that almost $40,000 had been collected. However, the committee noted that more than $50,000 was still needed -- and also issued a special plea for children’s clothes and food.

March 29, 1928

1928 Atlanta businessman Samuel DuBose placed a telephone call to his Paris representative, thus inaugurating long distance telephone service between Atlanta and Paris.

March 29, 1937

1937 Billy Carter, younger brother of future president Jimmy Carter, was born in Plains, Ga. He died at age 51 of cancer on Sept. 25, 1988 .

March 29, 1945

1945 Basketball great Walt Frazier was born in Atlanta, Georgia. After playing collegiate ball at Southern Illinois, Frazier was selected in the first round of the NBA draft by the New York Knicks in 1967. Frazier was the mainstay of the Knicks for the next decade, an All Star seven times, and an All Defensive Team member seven times. His cool demeanor on the court and flamboyant style off the court earned him the nickname "Clyde." He averaged 18.9 points and 6.1 assists per game throughout his career, improving his scoring average to 20.7 points per game in the playoffs. He led the Knicks to NBA titles in 1970 and 1973. After spending his last few playing years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he retired in 1979. Frazier was elected to the NBA Hall of Fame in 1987.

March 29, 1971

1971 In a court martial trial held at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga., Lt. William Calley was convicted for the premeditated murder of twenty-two Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre on March 16, 1968. Calley would be sentenced two days later.

March 29, 1999

1999 Blues vocalist Joe Williams died in Las Vegas. Born in Cordele, Ga. in 1919, his family moved to Chicago while he was still a youth. Here, he sang with a gospel group known as the Jubilee Boys. Williams later sang with the bands of Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, and others. But, it was not until 1951 that his performance of "Everyday I Have the Blues" made the music charts. Four years later, he recorded the song again -- this time with the Count Basie Band -- and went on to international fame as a vocalist. After the end of the big band era, Williams continued his music career as a solo artist. In his later years, Williams broadened his career to including acting, appearing on the "Cosby" television show in the occasional role of the comedian’s father-in-law.

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JUN
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Today in History

1843 Georgia’s Whig party held its first state convention in Milledgeville. With John M. Berrien presiding, delegates nominated George Crawford as Whig candidate for governor and voted to send ten … read more