Ed Jackson and Charly Pou

Carl Vinson Institute of Government

The University of Georgia

January 31

1733 The flotilla of six boats carrying Georgia's first colonists landed on the south end of Trench's Island. [See map] Here they found a small detachment of eight South Carolina rangers- who had built huts for the Georgia colonists. Here, after a hot meal of venison, the colonists spent their last night before reaching Georgia.

[Note: Letters, diaries, and records of this time show dates based on the Julian calendar (referred to as "Old Style") then in effect in Britain and the American colonies. The Gregorian calendar ("New Style") was adopted in 1752. Thus, Jan. 31, 1733 (Old Style) represents Feb. 11 under the calendar now in effect. For a fuller explanation, click here.]

1764 Georgia militia general David Blackshear was born in Craven, North Carolina. He fought in the American Revolution as a youth, before moving to frontier Georgia in 1790. Blackshear helped organize fellow settlers to defend against possible Indian attack. He was appointed justice of the peace in 1796, then brigadier general in the state militia in 1799. When the War of 1812 broke out, Blackshear was given responsibility of defending the southern and western borders of Georgia -- both exposed to hostile Indians. Blackshear had constructed a number of roads, forts, and a ferry along the frontier to expedite the movement of troops. After the war, Blackshear built his home -- Springfield Plantation -- near this ferry, where he lived and prospered until his death on July 4, 1837. The town that arose around the ferry and roads he had built was ultimately named in his honor -- Blackshear, county seat of Pierce County.

1813 Future military officer, explorer, and politician John C. Frémont was born in Savannah. Little is known about his early life, except that his father was a French immigrant. He became an officer in the U.S. Army's Topographical Engineers, later marrying the daughter of U.S. Sen. Thomas Hart Benton. With Benton's influence, Frémont undertook three major expeditions of the West (1843-46). In 1847, he was appointed civil governor of California, though a dispute with military commander Stephen Kearny led Fremont to resign his Army commission. Between 1848 and 1853, Frémont undertook two more expeditions of the West, also serving one year as U.S. Senator from California. In 1856, he became the first Republican candidate for president, losing to Democrat James Buchanan. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Pres. Lincoln appointed Frémont major general in command of volunteers in the Western Department. Acting unilaterally, Frémont placed Missouri under military command and issued an order freeing the slaves of all supporters of the Confederacy. Refusing Lincoln's order to revoke the actions, Frémont was relieved of command. After the war, he served as territorial governor of Arizona (1878-1881). Frémont died in New York City on July 13, 1890.

1861 The Atlanta city council called a meeting to consider sending delegates to a Feb. 4 meeting in Montgomery, Ala. to set up a government for the six states that had seceded from the Union. The city council appointed five delegates and instructed them "to use all honorable means to secure the location of the Confederate Capital in Atlanta."

1865 The Thirteenth Amendment -- which prohibited slavery -- passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 119-56.

1879 On the third day of his visit to the city he had burned 15 years earlier, former Union general William T. Sherman went to the Kimball Opera House, which served as Georgia's state capitol. Here, he paid his respects to Gov. Alfred Colquitt and took a tour of the statehouse. That afternoon, Sherman and his party departed Atlanta by rail for Savannah.

1893 Coca-Cola's trademark was registered with the U.S. Patent Office.

1919 Baseball great Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia. Although he was born in Georgia, Robinson's family moved to California when he was young. He was a multi-sport athlete at UCLA, where he averaged over eleven yards per carry in football, led the conference in scoring in basketball for two years, won the NCAA long jump title in track, and was a champion swimmer.

After spending a year playing minor league baseball in Canada, Robinson made history when he broke professional baseball's color barrier by playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Not only did Robinson excel at the game, but was masterful at controlling his emotions in the face of opposition to his playing. But breaking the color barrier was only one of many "firsts" for Robinson. He was also the first black to win the MVP award, the first black elected to the Hall of Fame (1962), and the first baseball player ever to appear on an American postage stamp. Upon retiring from baseball, Robinson went on to another successful career - he starred in a movie about his life, wrote several autobiographical works, had a weekly newspaper column and a radio show. In 1972 the Dodgers retired his number; he died October 24 of that same year.

1944 Former governor Thomas W. Hardwick died in Sandersville, Ga. (See Dec. 9 entry for biographical information.)

1946 Nine months after the death of the president, Gov. Ellis Arnall signed legislation creating the Franklin D. Roosevelt Warm Springs Memorial Commission as a state agency to build and maintain a memorial to the late president in the Warm Springs area.

1946 In an uncharacteristic action, the General Assembly adopted a joint resolution approving the principle of world federation and calling on Georgia's congressional delegation to appeal to the president to initiate procedures for drafting a constitution for The Federation of the World. [Click here to read full text.] Gov. Ellis Arnall signed the resolution -- but with reservations, fearing that it might be seen as questioning the efforts then underway to create the United Nations.

1956 In the Georgia Senate, the Committee on Defense and Veteran Affairs reported S.B. 98 (which would change Georgia's state flag) back to the full Senate with a do pass recommendation. That same, day the bill was read which on January 31 reported the bill back to the Senate, where the bill was then read for a second time.

1978 Loew's Theater in Atlanta burned; it was noted as the site for the movie premiere of "Gone With the Wind" in 1939.

1992 In first day of issue ceremonies at Clark Altanta University in Atlanta, the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp commemorating former Atlanta University professor and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois. [Click here to view stamp and read more about it and Du Bois.]

1999 Playing in Miami, the Atlanta Falcons lost the team's first-ever Super Bowl to the Denver Broncos by a score of 34-19. Denver quarterback John Elway had a MVP performance, giving Denver back-to-back NFL championships. Atlanta had many chances, but interceptions, tipped passes, and a tough Bronco defense stopped critical Falcon drives. [Click here to view CNN-SI review of the game.]

2001 Gov. Roy Barnes signed H.B. 16 into law, thus giving Georgia a new state flag [see image]. The act became effective immediately upon approval by the governor, and shortly after the signing, a copy of the new flag was raised above the Georgia state capitol. However, because it would take over a month to produce 20,000 copies of the new flag for use by state and local government agencies and schools, Gov. Barnes signed an executive order directing that the old state flag continue to be flow until new flags were available.

2007 US Airways withdrew a $10 billion offer to purchase financially struggling Atlanta based Delta Air Lines.

In Their Own Words on This Day. . .

1865 From Mathew's Bluff, South Carolina, Confederate soldier James Maddox wrote to his wife back in Georgia of his belief that the cause has been lost:

". . . We are well-situated in our present camp . . . . But the Yanks are advancing, and it will not be long until this will all be over. And the campaign will open and then South Carolina will be overrun by the foul invader. . . . We have a great many reports through camps, and one is that there is a Union flag flying from the courthouse at Hamilton, which reports I do not believe. But one I know that there was great many secessh about there, and if they have changed as much as the secessh of this state, they are willing to do anything to save their state. They were first for war, and they think it right to be first for peace. But i tell them they know nothing about war as yet, and they must wait until the yanks get full possession of the state and then they can be to realize what war is and not 'till then. I am very anxious to have peace, if we can have it in the proper way. And if not, my voice is still for war, but it seems to me that we have had war long enough to have peace on good terms."

Source: Mills Lane (ed.), "Dear Mother: Don't grieve about me. If I get killed, I'll only be dead.": Letters from Georgia Soldiers in the Civil War (Savannah: Beehive Press, 1990), p. 341.

1879 Fifteen years after burning Atlanta, former Union general William T. Sherman returned, as noted in the diary of Atlanta merchant Samuel P. Richards:

"Gen. Sherman has just honored our city by a visit to see how nicely we have builded it up after his burning it."

Source: Franklin M. Garrett, Atlanta and Environs: A chronicle of Its People and Events (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1969 reprint of 1954 original volume), Vol. I, p. 953.

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© Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia

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