1. In 1785, the Georgia General Assembly authorized the creation of the University of Georgia, making it the first state-chartered university in the United States.

2. In 1861, Georgia formally joined the Confederacy as the fifth southern state to secede from the Union.

3. In 1901, Alice Walker, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and civil rights activist, was born in Putnam County, Georgia.

4. In 1927, the iconic Coca-Cola sign was first erected in Atlanta, Georgia, becoming a symbol of the city and a landmark in American advertising.

5. In 1996, the XXVI Summer Olympic Games were held in Atlanta, making it the first American city to host the modern Olympic Games since 1984. The Games were marred by the tragedy of a bombing at Centennial Olympic Park, which killed two people and injured more than 100 others.