Happy Birthday, Georgia!

Today is the anniversary of Georgia ratifying the US Constitution, becoming one of the original 13 Colonies that became The United States of America.
Date of Admittance: January 2, 1788
Parentage: The state was named after King George II of England by its founder, James Oglethorpe. 

Place in the Family 
Number 4
Georgia followed New Jersey (12-18-1787)
and preceded Connecticut (1-9-1788)

Motto

"Wisdom, Justice, Moderation"

Wow, this is a great one, who doesn't want to live in a world of ....wait, what?

 

Nick-Name

"Empire State of the South"

Do I sense some rivalry with New York, "The Empire State"?

On the License Plate

Until recently it featured the phrase "Georgia on my mind." 

Now it features just a Georgia peach and the outline of the state. 

State Flag

A blue field with the state seal in the upper left corner and two red and white stripes. 

Believe it or not, this is the eighth state flag that Georgia has had! 

This one was only changed in 2003.

First City You Probably Think of 

When You Think "Georgia" 

Atlanta

Actual State Capital:Atlanta

State Size (Area) is 24th of 50
Population is closer to 10th of 50

(per 2000 Census figures)

Georgia Sports:
NFL (Atlanta Falcons)


MLB (Atlanta Braves)


NBA



Anybody From Georgia
Ever Grow Up To Be President?
Yes!
 Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter 
was elected 39th President in 1976. 
He has since been one of our 

more active Former Presidents. 

Musical Georgians

Johnny Mercer

song-writer, "Hooray for Hollywood," 

"Moon River," "That Old Black Magic" 

Little Richard

"Good Golly Miss Molly"


Ray Charles

"Hit The Road, Jack"

Brenda Lee

"I'm Sorry"

Otis Redding

"Sitting On the Dock Of The Bay"


Jerry Reed

"East Bound and Down"

The B-52s

"Love Shack"

REM

"Losing My Religion"

Alan Jackson

"Five O'Clock Somewhere"

Amy Grant

"Baby Baby"

Trisha Yearwood

"How Do I Live?"

Jason Aldean 

"Don't You Want To Stay?"

Luke Bryan

"All My Friends Say"

Cee Lo Green
"F(orget) You"




Zac Brown Band

"Colder Weather"

Historically Famous Georgians

 John "Doc" Holliday

participant at OK Corral shoot-out

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

national conscience during Civil Rights Movement

Clarence Thomas

Supreme Court Justice

Literary Georgians

Margaret Mitchell

novelist

Carson McCullers

novelist

Alice Walker

novelist

Louise Simonson

writer, editor

Celebrities From Georgia

Ty Cobb

Hall of Fame Baseball Player 

Oliver Hardy

comedian, actor

Joanne Woodward 

Academy Award-winning actress

Pernell Roberts

actor, "Bonanza," "Trapper John MD"

Ossie Davis

actor, activist

DeForest Kelley

actor, "Star Trek"

Walt Frazier

Hall of Fame Basketball Player

Holly Hunter

Academy Award-winning actress

Kim Basinger

Academy Award-winning actress

Julia Roberts 

Academy Award-winning actress

 

Spike Lee

director, "Malcolm X," "Do the Right Thing"  

 

Steven Soderbergh

Academy Award-winning director

 

Laurence Fishburne

actor, "The Matrix"

Jeff Foxworthy 

comedian, actor

Ed Helms 

actor, "The Office," "The Hangover"

Josh Holloway

actor, "LOST"

Paula Deen

TV Cooking Personality

Ryan Seacrest

"American Idol"  

 

Ty Pennington

"Extreme Home Makeover"

Fictional Georgians

Scarlett O'Hara

Gone With The Wind

POGO

lives in the Okefenokee Swamp

Deliverance

"Squeal like a pig!"

"Driving Miss Daisy"

Academy Award & Pulitzer Prize winning story

The Dukes Of Hazzard

from Hazzard County 

A Song For You.... 
"Georgia On My Mind" 
sung by Ray Charles
written by Hoagy Carmichael & Stuart Gorrell  
(there are plenty of Georgia songs to choose from, 
but this 1960 hit by Georgia-native Ray
Charles became the State Song in 1979)