1. In 1835, George Gilmer, the governor of Georgia, signed the Treaty of New Echota, which paved the way for the forced removal of the Cherokee people from their ancestral homelands in Georgia. This event was a key factor in the Trail of Tears, a tragic chapter in American and Native American history.

2. On December 4, 1861, Confederate General Robert E. Lee arrived in Savannah, Georgia, to take command of the coastal defenses. Lee had previously gained fame as a military advisor to Confederate President Jefferson Davis and was considered one of the South's most capable generals.

3. In 1933, the Georgia State Capitol Building was dedicated in Atlanta. The building, which houses the offices of the governor and other state officials, was designed to resemble a classical temple and features a gold-domed roof.

4. On December 4, 1948, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled in favor of Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes, two black students who had been denied admission to the University of Georgia based on their race. The court ordered the university to admit them, marking a significant victory in the struggle for civil rights in the South.

5. In 1996, the 1996 Summer Olympics Torch Relay passed through Georgia, en route to Atlanta where the games were being held. The relay featured nearly 11,000 torchbearers carrying the Olympic flame across the United States, and was one of the most widespread and inclusive Olympic torch relays in history.