1. On April 24, 1895, the first Olympic Games were organized by the Athens Olympic Society. The games were held in Athens, Greece and featured 241 athletes from 14 countries. Georgia was not yet a state at this time, but several athletes from the future state would go on to compete in the Olympic Games in the years to come.

2. On April 24, 1944, Georgia-born musician and songwriter Otis Redding was born in Dawson, Georgia. Redding went on to become one of the most influential soul music artists of all time, with hits such as "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay" and "Try A Little Tenderness". Sadly, he died in a plane crash in 1967 at the age of 26.

3. On April 24, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster shook the nation. The shuttle broke apart just 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members on board. One of the astronauts on the Challenger was Georgia native Ronald McNair, who had previously flown on the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1984.

4. On April 24, 2002, the Georgia General Assembly passed the Georgia Smokefree Air Act, which banned smoking in most public places across the state. The law was designed to protect non-smokers from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke, and has been credited with reducing smoking rates and improving public health in Georgia.

5. On April 24, 2004, the Georgia Bulldogs football team won the SEC Championship for the first time in 20 years, defeating the LSU Tigers 34-14. The Bulldogs went on to play in the Sugar Bowl that year, where they lost to the West Virginia Mountaineers.