June 4, 1738

1738 At Westminister in London, Princess Augusta (wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales and son of King George II) gave birth to their first son--who one day would rule over Britain and the dissolution of its American colonies as King George III. In 1751, Frederick died, leaving George III in line for the throne when his grandfather, George II, died in 1760.

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June 4, 1785

1785 In London, 88-year-old James Oglethorpe greeted the newly arrived John Adams, the first U.S. ambassador to Great Britain. Oglethorpe reportedly "expressed a great esteem and regard for America, much regret at the misunderstanding between the two countries, and was very happy to have lived to see the termination of it." Adams described Georgia’s founder as "very polite and complimentary," and shortly afterwards returned the visit.

June 4, 1815

1815 Future Confederate general Paul Jones Semmes was born in Wilkes County, Ga. Semmes became a banker, planter, and captain in the Georgia militia. With the outbreak of the Civil War, he became a colonel in the 2nd Georgia Infantry. In March 1862, he was promoted to brigadier general and commander of a brigade in Magruder’s Division and subsequently a brigade in McLaws’ Division. He served in a number of battles, including Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg, where he was mortally wounded. Semmes’ died on July 10,m 1863 in Martinsburg, W.V.

June 4, 1913

1913 Leo Frank’s wife released a statement insisting her husband was innocent of the murder of Mary Phagan, and accused solicitor Hugh Dorsey of "torturing" witnesses to give false incriminating evidence against Frank. She said, in part, "the action of the solicitor general in arresting and imprisoning our family cook because she would not voluntarily make a false statement against my innocent husband, brings a limit to patience."

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June 4, 1962

1962 The Atlanta Arts Association began a memorial fund for those killed in the airplane crash the previous day. From Paris, mayor Ivan Allen Jr. said it would take considerable time to identify all the bodies and return them to Georgia. One of the two survivors of the crash, French stewardess Francois Aubie, said of the Georgians on board: "They seemed such a happy group. Most of them seemed ... much better educated and courteous than you find in many organized parties of tourists. . . ."

June 4, 1976

1976 State revenue commissioner Nick Chilivis reported that May saw the largest single month’s revenue collection in Georgia history -- $164.5 million.

June 4, 1976

1976 Elvis Presley began a three-day concert at the Omni in Atlanta. This was the sixth of eight appearances for Elvis in Georgia.

June 4, 1987

1987 Morehouse College graduate and Olympic star Edwin Moses lost a 400-meter hurdle race, breaking a string of 122 consecutive victories over a 10-year span.

June 4, 2005

2005 The University of Georgia men’s golf team won the 2005 NCAA national championship, topping arch rival Georgia Tech, who finished in second place.