February 20, 1796

1796 Gov. Jared Irwin signed legislation creating Jefferson County and Lincoln County as Georgia’s 23rd and 24th counties. Jefferson County, created from Burke and Warren counties, was named for former U.S. secretary of state and author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson. Lincoln County, created from portions of Wilkes County, was named for Gen. Benjamin Lincoln, who had commanded the Continental Army’s southern department during the Revolution and later served as Pres. George Washington’s Secretary of War.

February 20, 1854

1854 Gov. Johnson signed Georgia’s first child labor legislation. The law limited the working of all white persons under age 21 working in cotton, woolen, and other manufacturing establishments to the hours between sunrise and sunset "with the usual and customary time for meals." The penalty for violating the law was a fine up to $200 or imprisonment in jail up to 60 days.

February 20, 1854

Georgia cities and towns first incorporated by acts approved by the governor on Feb. 20:

1854 Barnesville (then Pike, now Lamar County), Magnolia (Clinch County), and Sylvania (Screven County)

February 20, 1854

1854 Gov. Herschel Johnson signed legislation creating Calhoun County as Georgia’s 112th county. Created from portions of Baker and Early counties, the new county was named for former U.S. senator, vice president, and ardent advocate of states rights John C. Calhoun of South Carolina. Calhoun also had Georgia ties. After gold was discovered in Dahlonega in 1828, he purchased one of the first gold mines near the new gold-rush town of Auraria. Calhoun's son-in-law, Thomas Clemson, operated the mine and later used some of the proceeds to fund creation of Clemson University. Calhoun also owned a hotel in Auraria.

February 20, 1874

Georgia cities and towns first incorporated by acts approved by the governor on Feb. 20:

1874 South Rome (Floyd County)

February 20, 1877

Georgia cities and towns first incorporated by acts approved by the governor on Feb. 20:

1877 Midville (Burke County)

February 20, 1888

1888 Aviator Benjamin (Ben) T. Epps was born in Oconee County, Georgia. While he was very young, his family moved to nearby Athens. Epps attended Georgia Tech for one year, but dropped out and returned to Athens, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life. Epps was a talented mechanic who learned to repair electronic equipment and cars – both of which were quickly becoming popular. However, Epps' true love was the idea of flying.

In 1907, he opened Athens' first garage, where he built and flew his own airplane – a monoplane – at the age of 19, becoming the first person to fly in Georgia.

By the end of World War I, Epps had either built or purchased the planes necessary to start a flying service. Epps and a partner rented some land in then rural Clarke County and established Georgia's first airport in 1919. He continued to experiment with different designs while running his service – transporting passengers, training pilots, and staging air shows. Some of Epps' innovative designs were precursors of the light, economical planes that became popular many years after his death. On October 16, 1937, the 49-year-old Epps died from injuries sustained when a plane he was testing crashed. In his honor, Georgia's first airport in Athens was renamed Ben Epps Field. Later, Epps was named to the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame.

February 20, 1892

1892 The University of Georgia and Auburn Mechanical and Military College played one of the South’s first intercollegiate football games in Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Years later, the Georgia team would be known as the "Bulldogs." At this early point in the football program, however, the University of Georgia mascot was a billy goat. Sadly, the Georgia Billy Goats lost to Auburn, 10-0.

February 20, 1970

1970 After having rejected it on July 24, 1919, Georgia finally ratified the 19th Amendment (which granted women the right to vote).

February 20, 1974

1974 Atlanta Constitution editor Reg Murphy was kidnaped and held for ransom. After the newspaper paid a $700,000 ransom, Murphy was released. Later, William A.H. Williams was arrested for the crime. Most of the ransom money was recovered at Williams’ house.

February 20, 1988

1988 Edgar Chandler, Buddy Fowlkes, Leon Hardeman, Graham Hixon, Jim Luck, Amater Traylor, LeRoy Walker, and Rayfield Wright were inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

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Today in History

1898 Lawyer, politician, and former Confederate general Henry Rootes Jackson died in Savannah. Born June 24, 1820 in Athens, Ga., Jackson attended the University of Georgia for a while but … read more