May 16, 1777

1777 For months, animosity between Gen. Lachlan McIntosh and former Council of Safety president Button Gwinnett had been growing -- especially when Gwinnett in March had ordered the arrest of McIntosh’s brother for treason (at the request of the Continental Congress). Both the general and Gwinnett had been involved in a failed invasion of British Florida, and each blamed the other. When the Georgia legislature cleared Gwinnett of responsibility, McIntosh responded by calling Gwinnett "a Scoundrell & lying Rascal." The result was a duel on May 16 outside of Savannah. At close range, both fired their pistols at the same time, each striking the other. McIntosh’s bullet shattered Gwinnett’s thigh, producing a wound that would prove fatal days later.

May 16, 1795

1795 A convention met at Louisville to amend the Constitution of 1789.

May 16, 1862

1862 Confederate general Joseph Lewis Hogg died of dysentery while serving with his brigade in Corinth, Miss. Born Sept. 13, 1806 in Morgan County, Ga., he later became a planter, lawyer, and politician, representing Texas in Congress. Hogg also served in the Mexican War. With the outbreak of the Civil War, he helped raise a contingent of state troops. In Feb. 1862, Hogg was promoted to brigadier general.

May 16, 1901

1901 The North Georgia Electric Company was incorporated to construct a hydroelectric power plan on the Chattahoochee River near Gainesville. This company would be one of several that would later form Georgia Power company.

May 16, 1913

1913 Investigators in the Mary Phagan murder case searched the National Pencil Factory looking for scraps of rope or twine. Hugh Dorsey, solicitor in the case, said the knot tied around Mary Phagan’s neck was intricate and inexplicable -- suggesting it must have been tied by a professional. Over $1500 had already been raised to bring William J. Burns into the case. Thomas Felder, the attorney responsible for bringing in the Burns Agency, said: "We will catch the guilty man and we won’t be long about it. I am confident of success. Mary Phagan’s murder will be cleared in less than a month."

May 16, 1938

1938 Around 3 a.m., a fire broke out in either the basement or kitchen of Atlanta’s Terminal Hotel, located at the corner of Spring and Mitchell streets. Fire trucks arrived within minutes of the alarm, but the fire spread so rapidly that nothing could be done. The roof of the five-story hotel collapsed, plunging through the fifth and fourth floors. A total of 34 hotel occupants perished, making it the worst fire until that time in Atlanta history.

May 16, 1998

1998 In ceremonies at Warner Robins Air Force Base, the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame inducted Lt. Col. Chuck Dryden, Col. Joe Jackson, Captain Henry "Doc" Manget, Jr. and Col. Howard McWhorter, Jr. Capt. Manget is a U.S. Navy veteran; the other three served with the U.S. Air Force.

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MAY
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Today in History

1913 In Atlanta, a grand jury took only ten minutes to hand down a murder indictment against Leo Frank. No action was taken or requested against Newt Lee. While the … read more