June 3, 1887

1887 Famous African-American tenor Roland Hayes was born in Calhoun, Georgia. He debuted in Boston in 1917, though his fame came after performing for Britain’s king and queen in 1921. During a nationwide tour in 1924, Hayes performed more than 80 concerts. He also published his own arrangements of Negro spirituals in "My Songs" in 1948. In 1991, Hayes was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

June 3, 1907

1907 Thomas Howard Ruger, who served as Georgia’s military governor briefly during Reconstruction, died in Stamford, Conn. Born in Lima, New York on Apr. 2, 1833, Ruger graduated from West Point in 1854. During the Civil War, he was promoted to temporary major general after the Battle of Franklin. After the war, Maj. Gen. George Meade appointed Ruger as acting governor of Georgia after removing Gov. Charles Jenkins from office for obstructing Reconstruction. Ruger served from January to July 1868, when Republican Rufus Bullock was sworn into office. Ruger went on to become superintendent of West Point (1871-76), eventually attaining the rank of major general before retiring in 1897.

June 3, 1913

1913 After spending the night in jail and after intense questioning, Minola McKnight -- the Frank family cook -- signed a statement saying Leo Frank was very nervous and drinking heavily the night after the murder of Mary Phagan. She said she overheard Frank’s wife say he made her sleep on the rug and kept asking for his pistol so he could shoot himself. Frank had told her "It is mighty bad, Minola. I might have to go to jail about this girl, and I don’t know anything about it." Finally she said her wages had been raised as a "tip to keep quiet."

June 3, 1941

1941 Georgia voters ratified a constitutional amendment extending the term of office of governor and constitutional officers from two years to four.

June 3, 1942

1942 Curtis Mayfield was born in Chicago, Illinois. He became a Grammy-award winning rhythm-and-blues/soul singer, musician, composer, and record producer. Paralyzed by an accident in 1990, Mayfield and his family subsequently made Atlanta their home.

June 3, 1962

1962 In Paris, an airplane crash near Paris, France killed 103 member of the Atlanta Art Association. an Air France jetliner crashed soon after takeoff from Orly Airport killing 130 people -- the worst single air accident to that time. Of the dead, 115 were Georgians -- 106 of which were art patrons from Atlanta on an European tour sponsored by the Atlanta Art Association. The only survivors of the crash were two French stewardesses. Atlanta mayor Ivan Allen, Jr. immediately flew to Paris to help in identifying the victims and to expedite the return of the remains to Atlanta. As a result of the crash, a movement to honor the victims led to building of the Woodruff Memorial Arts Center in Atlanta.

June 3, 1976

1976 Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson conducted the ceremony officially re-naming Hunter Drive, Mozley Drive, and Gordon Road as Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive.

June 3, 1980

1980 Jimmy Carter won enough delegates to assure his Democratic nomination for the 1980 presidential election.

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Today in History

1744 In London, Britain’s War Office requested the convening of a board of general officers to consider charges made by Lt. Col. William Cooke against Gen. James Oglethorpe. While in … read more