1864    During the American Civil War, Union forces led by General William T. Sherman launch an assault on Atlanta, Georgia.

1864    American Civil War: Atlanta, Georgia, is evacuated on orders of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman.

1864    American Civil War: Union General William Tecumseh Sherman burns Atlanta, Georgia and starts Sherman's March to the Sea. thumb

1886    Dr. John Pemberton brews the first batch of Coca-Cola in a backyard in Atlanta, Georgia.

1932    In Atlanta, Georgia, mobster Al Capone begins serving an eleven-year prison sentence for tax evasion.

1939    ''Gone with the Wind'' receives its première at Loew's Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

1946    A fire at the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia kills 119 people, the deadliest hotel fire in U.S. history.

1996    After the aircraft's departure from Miami, Florida, a fire started by improperly handled oxygen canisters in the cargo hold of Atlanta-bound ValuJet Flight 592 causes the Douglas DC-9 to crash in the Florida Everglades killing all 110 on board.

1996    Centennial Olympic Park bombing: in Atlanta, Georgia, a pipe bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics. One woman (Alice Hawthorne) is killed, and a cameraman suffers a heart attack fleeing the scene. 111 are injured.

1996    Michael Johnson breaks the 200m world record by 0.30 seconds with a time of 19.32 seconds at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

2006    Comair Flight 5191 crashes on takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky bound for Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. Of the passengers and crew, 49 of 50 are confirmed dead in the hours following the crash.