August 16, 1798

1798 Mirabeau Lamar was born in Louisville, Georgia. He later emigrated to the new Republic of Texas, where he became its second president. Lamar died in Richmond, Texas on Dec. 19, 1859.

August 16, 1880

1880 Former Georgia governor Herschel Johnson died in Jefferson County, Ga.

August 16, 1882

1882 Georgia politician Benjamin H. Hill died in Atlanta at age 59. Born in Jasper County, Georgia on Sept. 14, 1823, he would serve in both the U.S. and Confederate senates.

August 16, 1888

1888 John Pemberton died at his home in Atlanta. Born in Knoxville, Georgia in 1831, Pemberton became a pharmacist in Columbus. During the Atlanta Campaign, he organized Pemberton’s Cavalry and served as a captain under Gen. Joe Wheeler until the end of the war. In 1869, he moved to Atlanta, where he eventually started the Pemberton Chemical Company. In 1886, he invented a syrup blend consisting of extracts of coca and kola for use in treating headaches. The next year, fate led a customer asking for the syrup to diluted with carbonated water--and thus was born Coca-Cola.

August 16, 1907

Georgia towns and cities incorporated by acts approved on August 16:

1907 Annestown (Gwinnett County), Eleanor (Monroe County), and Norristown (Emanuel County)

August 16, 1909

Georgia towns and cities incorporated by acts approved on August 16:

1909 Grovania (Houston County), Manchester (Meriwether and Talbot counties), Mitchells District (Pulaski County), Rays Mill (Berrien County), and Swords (Morgan County).

August 16, 1912

Georgia towns and cities incorporated by acts approved on August 16:

1912 Rex (Clayton County), Sardis (Burke County), and Shingler (Worth County)

August 16, 1913

1913 On the eighteenth day in the trial of Leo Frank, many more female employees of the National Pencil factory were called -- all testifying to Frank’s good character and that he had never done anything improper to them. One did say he opened the door to the girls’ dressing room once, but the defense claimed this was because some girls were flirting out the window and he wanted to stop it. Residents of the area where the Franks lived testified that he had walked around the neighborhood the evening after the murder, and seemed calm and normal. Finally, on this Saturday afternoon, the defense announced what most of the crowd had been waiting to hear; Leo Frank himself would take the stand on Monday.

August 16, 1913

Georgia towns and cities incorporated by acts approved on August 16:

1913 Aline (Emanuel County) and Robertstown (White County)

August 16, 1915

1915 A caravan of eight vehicles bearing 25 armed men from the Atlanta area arrived at the Georgia State Prison at Milledgeville around 10 p.m. Cutting the telephone lines, they surprised the guards and entered the barrack of Leo Frank, who two years earlier had been convicted of the murder of 14-year-old Mary Phagan in one of the most infamous trials of the century. The intruders seized Frank and departed into the night. Seven of the cars then took back roads headed for Marietta, while one car acted as a decoy in case of pursuit.

August 16, 1916

1916 Gov. Nathaniel Harris signed legislation designating the State Prison Commission, the State Geologist, the Dean of Civil Engineering of the State University, and the Professor of Highway Engineering at Georgia Tech as the State Highway Department of Georgia in order to comply with provisions of Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 under which Congress authorized federal aid to states for construction of highways.

August 16, 1919

1919 Gov. Hugh Dorsey signed an act of the General Assembly creating a state Department of Banking and providing for the examination and regulation of banks in Georgia.

August 16, 1920

Georgia towns and cities incorporated by acts approved on August 16:

1920 Farrar (Jasper County), Hoboken (Pierce County) and Manassas (Tattnall County)

August 16, 1924

1924 Gov. Clifford Walker signed an act providing that persons sentenced to death die by electrocution rather than hanging. The law further directed the State Prison Commission to immediately build a death chamber with electric chair at the state prison at Milledgeville.

August 16, 1949

1949 Margaret Mitchell died in Atlanta, five days after being hit by a speeding taxi while crossing the intersection of Peachtree and 13th -- only three blocks from her house. The author of Gone With the Wind was buried two days later in Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery.

August 16, 1996

1996 In Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the Atlanta Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the win over future Braves pitcher Denny Neagle, John Smoltz recorded his 20th win -- establishing a Braves record for winning 20 games so quickly in a season -- and strengthening his claim for the 1996 Cy Young Award. In his first home game, 19-year-old Andruw Jones tripled on his first at-bat, followed by his first Major League homer on his third at-bat. Reliever Mark Wohler got his 30th save -- tying Gene Garber’s franchise record.