March 14, 1737

1737 During a lengthy visit to London, James Oglethorpe had declined Prime Minister Robert Walpole’s offer to become governor of South Carolina. On Mar. 14, Walpole announced he would appoint Oglethorpe’s preference -- Samuel Horsey -- as governor. Walpole also announced his willingness to commission Oglethorpe as general of the combined forces of South Carolina and Georgia. Oglethorpe, however, would decline until also given the rank of colonel in the British Army plus a regiment of 700 soldiers under his command to take back to Georgia. [The distinction in the two positions was Walpole’s commission as general of the combined forces would have been a temporary command, while being a colonel in the British Army would have allowed permanent military status.] Several months would pass before Walpole agreed to Oglethorpe’s demand.

March 14, 1794

1794 Eli Whitney secured a patent on the cotton gin. Whitney’s invention made it possible to clean 50 times the amount of cotton per day than when done by hand. However, its simplicity of design made it easy to be copied by others, and Whitney never realized major financial profits from his invention.

March 14, 1835

1835 A segment of the Cherokee Indians led by John Ridge signed the Treaty of Washington with U.S. commissioners in Washington, D.C. The treaty ceded all remaining Cherokee lands in Georgia to the U.S. However, because of heavy opposition by other Cherokees, the U.S. Senate did not ratify the treaty.

March 14, 1945

1942 The official name of the Army Air Force Depot in Houston County was formally changed to Wellston Air Depot -- though it would soon be renamed to Warner Robins Air Force Base.

March 14, 1975

1975 Actress Susan Hayward died in Hollywood, Calif. Born June 30, 1918 June 30, 1918 - Actress Susan Hayward is born in Brooklyn, New York. Nominated for an Academy Award for best actress in 1947, 1949, 1952, and 1955, she would win the 1958 Oscar for her performance of Barbara Graham in the movie, "I WANT TO LIVE!"--the story of a woman is sentenced to die in the gas chamber for murder. In her later life, Hayward spent several happy years with her husband in Carrollton, Georgia. After her death, she was buried next to her husband in Carrollton.

March 14, 2001

2001 Georgia experienced its largest multiple traffic accident in history. On I-75 in Catoosa County near the Tennessee border, severe fog helped trigger an accident in the northbound lanes. Because of zero visibility, speeding cars and trucks began ramming into the first wreck, triggering collision after collision. In a brief period, 125 cars and trucks were involved in both northbound and southbound lanes, resulting in 5 dead and 39 injured and I-75 completely closed at the site for the day.