August 1, 1790

1790 The first U.S. census was reported. Out of a national population of 3,929,214 (3,172,006 white and 757,208 black), Georgia has a total population of 82,548 (52,886 white and 29,662 black).

August 1, 1866

1866 Cherokee chief John Ross died in Washington, D.C. Born in Turkey Town in the Cherokee Nation, Ross was only one-eighth Cherokee. By the early 1800s, he had established a ferry and warehouse business on the Tennessee River known as Ross’s Landing (site of present-day Chattanooga). In the 1820s, Ross moved to Head of Coosa, the point marking the confluence of the Etowah and Oostanaula rivers which later became Rome, Ga. In 1828, Ross was elected principal chief of the Cherokees, in which capacity he unsuccessfully fought efforts by the federal government and Georgia to move the Cherokees from their homeland to the Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma. During the Civil War, he and his family moved to Washington, D.C., where they were living at the time of his death.

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August 1, 1895

1895 Black educator and civil rights advocate Benjamin Mays was born in rural South Carolina, son of former slaves turned tenant farmers. Committed to the importance of education, Mays attended several colleges before obtaining his doctorate from the University of Chicago in 1935. Later, he became president of Morehouse College. At age 72, he became the first black president of the Atlanta Board of Education, a position he held for 12 years. During his life, he received 49 honorary doctorate degrees.

August 1, 1912

Georgia cities and towns incorporated by acts approved on Aug. 1:

1912 Bridgeboro (Worth County) and Howell (Echols County)

August 1, 1913

1913 During the fifth day of the trial of Leo Frank, Dr. Roy Harris, who had examined Mary Phagan’s body, testified that she had died within an hour of eating her last meal of cabbage and bread -- meaning she died sometime in the hour between twelve and one o’clock. He also said the head wounds were caused by a human fist. After suffering a fainting spell, Dr. Harris had to leave the stand before completing his testimony. Assistant factory superintendent N.V. Darley said Frank was nervous the day of the murder, but that this wasn’t unusual. Darley said he had seen Frank talking to Gantt and assumed this accounted for his nervousness. Darley’s testimony was marked by more bitter clashes between prosecutor Dorsey and defense attorney Rosser. Maggie White, wife of one of the machinists working at the factory April 26th, testified she went to the factory twice that day to visit her husband. She had seen Leo Frank both times, the second time around 12:30 in his office. He had his back turned to her and was startled when she walked in, but then told her it was fine to go see her husband. She said she left shortly before 1:00 and saw a Negro hiding behind some boxes on the first floor.

August 1, 1936

1936 On his birthday, Benjamin Mays was named president of Morehouse College in Atlanta. During his presidency, the college’s enrollment doubled, while its endowment increased four-fold.

August 1, 1953

1953 Blues singer, guitarist, and song writer Robert Cray was born in Columbus, Georgia. Cray would win a 1987 Grammy Award.

August 1, 1961

1961 Inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame were George Gardner, Thomas Greene Jr., William Hunnicutt, Thomas Paris, Dr. Alfred Scott, and Kimsey Stewart.

August 1, 1982

1982 Former Atlanta Braves slugger Hank Aaron was inducted in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Aaron came nine votes shy of being elected unanimously -- the third highest percentage of votes, only surpassed by Ty Cobb and Tom Seaver.

August 1, 1996

1996 This was the fourteenth day of the 1996 Summer Olympics -- and day 13 of Olympic competition.