This Month In Atlanta History

Editor’s Note: In honor of Atlanta INtown’s 25th anniversary and in memory of our late historian, Ann Taylor Boutwell, we’re bringing back her column every month for 2019.

Feb. 2, 2002: Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank purchased the Atlanta Falcons football franchise.

Feb. 6, 1974: Concert promoter Alex Cooley presented comedian Lily Tomlin in character as Ernestine, the “ringy dingy” telephone operator at Atlanta City Hall. Tickets ranged from a whopping $4.50 to $5.50.

ANN TAYLOR BOUTWELL’S A LOOK BACK

Feb. 4. 1968: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his renowned sermon, “The Drum Major Instinct,” at Ebenezer Baptist Church. In the sermon, King encourages people to live a life of service and be leaders for justice, peace and righteousness. Two months later, the recorded sermon would be played during King’s funeral following his assassination in Memphis.

Feb. 20, 1892: “The Battle of Atlanta” painting, created in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by German and Polish artists under the director of Wilhelm Wehner, officially opened for viewing in the city. The venue was a drum-shaped building on the north side of Edgewood Avenue between Courtland and Piedmont avenues. Many in the audience had actually participated in the battle on that hot, humid day on July 22, 1864. The painting would go on to become the centerpiece of Cyclorama in Grant Park and, soon, at its new home at the Atlanta History Center.

Feb. 21, 1940: U.S. Rep. John Lewis was born in Troy, Alabama.

Feb. 23, 1868: ▲ W.E.B. Du Bois – founder of the NAACP, writer and professor at Atlanta University – was born in Massachusetts.

Feb. 27, 1868: The Georgia Constitutional Convention named Atlanta the capital of the state, moving it from Milledgeville.

Feb. 29, 1940: ◄ Hattie McDaniel received the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Mammy in “Gone With the Wind,” becoming the first black actor to receive an Academy Award.