History

Politics aside, the recent passing of Barbara Bush struck a chord. Beyond her place in history as a first lady and a mother of a president, the obvious white hair and her ferocious love of reading, I feel like I got to know her last week.

In the early 1950s, the newly formed Atlanta Figure Skating Club was already a U.S. Figure Skating member, but its growing number of members were practicing in a wrestling arena garage.

In the heart of downtown Atlanta stands a 127-year-old, 10-foot bronze statue. The monument was erected to honor Henry W. Grady – the journalist known as the “Spokesman of the New South” who helped reintegrate the Confederate states following the Civil War.

My favorite part of attending the Midtown Alliance annual meeting was its slide show, contrasting today’s trendy, business-fueled Atlanta neighborhood with that dark time in the 1970s when Peachtree & 14th streets were … The Strip.

Known as the greatest amateur golfer ever, Bobby Jones was born in Atlanta in 1902. Bobby was named a golf prodigy after entering his first national competition at 14, but his career didn’t truly take off until seven years later when he won the U.S. Open.

In 1895, nearly 800,000 visitors gathered in Piedmont Park for the Cotton States and International Exposition.

According to the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, the Buckhead building that once housed the Southeast’s first library bindery is in peril.

Celebrated on March 17 in observance of the death of the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is full of shamrocks, leprechauns and green galore.

Today marks the 128th anniversary of the birth of one of Atlanta’s greatest – and longest-running – mayors.

Atlanta’s first library opened in 1902, but it wasn’t until 1921 that African Americans had library access. And it wasn’t until decades later that they had access to the same branches as whites.

Immediately after the Great Recession, commercial real estate investors focused on New York and a few other major markets. Things were quiet in Atlanta for years. Not anymore.

With one invention, Frank Mason Robinson changed not only the history of Coca-Cola, but also advertising.

In the 1920s, Sweet Auburn Curb Market was the center of Atlanta – not only geographically, but in terms of shopping.

I was the closest human to The Temple on Peachtree Street when it was bombed in October 1958 – but I had nothing to do with it. My family had just moved into a first-floor apartment immediately south of Atlanta’s oldest synagogue when the explosion occurred in the middle of the night. I was an infant, asleep on the back porch.

Low ticket sales forced Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to end its 146-year-old run last year, but during the early 20th century, the circus was one of our city’s most anticipated events.

This month marks 60 years since the launch of the Love, Law and Liberation (Triple L) Movement. Inspired by the successful Montgomery bus boycott, a group of African-American ministers, led by Rev. William Holmes Borders, decided to recreate a similar protest in Atlanta.

The Vietnam War forever changed the 3.5 million men and women who served in Southeast Asia from 1964-1975.

The month before the 1969 Woodstock Festival, Atlanta hosted the inaugural Atlanta International Pop Festival. Although it never reached Woodstock’s iconic status, the festival featured a similar lineup, including headliner Janis Joplin.

Ebenezer Baptist Church was first founded in 1886, but it wasn’t until the 1960s when it gained international fame – thanks to its famous member, Martin Luther King Jr.

The Pink Pig still runs each year at Lenox, but for many Atlantans, today’s version doesn’t compare to the original one that first opened in 1953.

Sherwood Forest was established in 1949 and became one of Atlanta’s most affluent neighborhoods by the 1950s. Built on the Collier family’s estate, the neighborhood was known for its wide driveways and streets, perfectly manicured lawns and lavish Christmas decoration competition. Residents were judged and awarded prizes until the late 1960s, when traffic from visitors became too heavy.

Atlanta’s notorious icon, the Clermont Lounge, dates back to 1955 when the Clermont Motor Hotel opened an upscale dinner club in its basement. Surviving multiple name changes and even a lawsuit over the next decade, the club reopened as the Clermont Lounge in 1965.

The Empire Building, a 117-year-old building still standing in Downtown Atlanta, has a morbid past.

One of Midtown’s lesser known historical gems, Baltimore Block, was built in 1885 by Jacob J. Rosenthal. The Baltimore-style rowhouses, which were luxurious at the time, were built as apartments and had the first gaslight fixtures and central heating in the area.

The 2,600-seat Tabernacle is one of Atlanta’s greatest venues, but its initial purpose had little to do with entertainment.

October 13 is the 129th birthday of one of Atlanta’s greatest treasures.

On October 7, 1923, the first ensemble to bear the name Atlanta Symphony Orchestra took the stage. Its Sunday afternoon concert series featured 60 players.

Earlier this month, soccer proved its worth in the South when Atlanta United broke the single-game attendance record for an MLS match.

As soon as Hurricane Harvey hit, Light of the World Christian Church in Stockbridge put out a plea. In just…

One of Georgia’s most legendary performers would have turned 87 this Sunday, September 23. Despite being blinded at age five, Ray Charles revolutionized the music industry with a blend of jazz, gospel, and rhythm and blues.