1. In 1796, the state of Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution.

2. On July 24, 1864, during the American Civil War, Union General William T. Sherman ordered the burning of Atlanta, Georgia, as part of his military strategy to cripple the Confederacy.

3. In 1996, Atlanta hosted the Summer Olympics, and on July 24 of that year, swimmer Amy Van Dyken won her third gold medal of the games in the women's 50-meter freestyle.

4. On July 24, 1948, Brigadier General Benjamin O. Davis Jr. took command of the newly-activated 332nd Fighter Wing at Lockbourne Army Air Base, making him the first African American to command a military fighter group in the United States.

5. In 2015, a major data breach at the health insurance company Anthem exposed the personal information of nearly 80 million Americans, including many in Georgia. The breach was discovered on July 24, but had actually occurred several months earlier.