1. 1924 - Georgia Tech and Cumberland College played the most lopsided college football game in history on October 17. Georgia Tech defeated Cumberland 222-0 in a game that has gone down in history as one of the most one-sided contests in sports history.
2. 1973 - Arthur Breedlove became the first African American elected to the Georgia State Senate since the Reconstruction Era. Breedlove, a Democrat from Columbus, served in the Senate until 1990.
3. 1985 - Civil rights leader Hosea Williams was arrested for protesting Apartheid in South Africa. Williams was one of several protesters who were arrested outside of the South African consulate in Atlanta.
4. 1993 - Georgia Governor Zell Miller signed an executive order creating the HOPE Scholarship program. The program, which is funded by the Georgia Lottery, provides full tuition for students who maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher.
5. 2018 - Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams debated her opponent Brian Kemp in their first televised debate on October 17. The debate was seen as a pivotal moment in the race, which would ultimately be won by Kemp. However, Abrams won national acclaim for her campaign, which helped to energize the Democratic Party in Georgia and across the country.