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February 1, 1960 - Four black college students refuse to leave Woolworth's whites only lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, until they are served. Charlotte's Franklin McCain is one of the young men who takes part in this sit-in.
February 6, 1975 - Bluegrass musician Arthur Smith has long been a favorite performer on Charlotte's live WBT radio shows. Today, Smith wins almost $200,000 from Warner Brothers.
January 19, 1965 - Darius and Vera Swann want their son, James, to attend school near the family's home. But since the Swanns are black, James is assigned to an all-black school farther away. Lawyer Julius Chambers files legal action against the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education.
July 11, 1975 - It has been seven long years since Julius Chambers first filed the legal case, Swann vs. the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. Integration has worked for one year. Judge James B.
November 22, 1965Eight-year-old Kelly Alexander, Jr. lies asleep in his bed. Kelly's father has been working to obtain the same rights for black Americans that whites enjoy.
April 4, 1968 - The Baptist minister who believes in non-violent protest has himself become a victim of violence. Inspirational leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is fatally shot in Memphis, Tennessee. More than 100,000 people attend King's funeral in Atlanta.
April 23, 1969 - There is a new judge presiding over the Swann case, the legal action that tests whether integration can actually work in schools. Judge James B.
June 18, 1989 - After almost two years of renovations, the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County reopens its doors to new and expanded building. The state-of-the-art facility features expanded services and a larger staff..
September 22, 1989 - Charlotte is caught unaware when Hurricane Hugo turns inland from the South Carolina coast and slams into the Queen City during the night. High winds uproot huge trees, tear the roofs off homes and knock down power lines across the region.
October 12, 1980 - The man born at his great-grandfather's home near 2nd and Graham streets returns to the Queen City. Romare Bearden is now a nationally acclaimed artist who creates works of art from small pieces of glass, ceramic or paper in a method called collage.
October 31, 1981 - Discovery Place, Charlotte's hands-on museum opens. It has grown out of the Nature Museum, which has taught young children about the world around them since 1947.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg's explosive growth is creating many challenges. Commuters traveling to and from work jam area roads. Highways can't handle the traffic in and out of the county.
May 18, 1986 - Shalom Park, the new center of Charlotte's Jewish community, is dedicated. The city has two Jewish houses of worship: Temple Israel and Temple Beth El.
March 31, 1988 - The Charlotte Observer wins journalism's highest honor, the Pulitzer Prize. Reporters have written over 600 stories about Reverend Jim Bakker and the scandal surrounding his ministry, PTL.
November, 1993 - President Bill Clinton signs legislation that expands the Catawba Indian reservation to 4,200 acres.
July 2, 1994 - As the busy July 4th weekend begins, travelers in Columbia, South Carolina, board US Air flight 1016. On the approach to Charlotte, something goes terribly wrong. The plane crashes in a residential neighborhood near the airport and 37 people are killed.
June 24, 1996 - The summer Olympic games will soon begin in Atlanta, Georgia. A blazing torch symbolizes the spirit of the games. The Olympic flame is traveling through the South and today arrives in Charlotte.
September 26, 1996 - Through the years, Rev. Billy Graham has returned to Charlotte many times to spread the Gospel. He draws 300,000 people to the new Ericsson stadium in the 4-day crusade that many worshipers fear may be Graham's last.
March 6, 1997 - NationsBank executive Joe Martin has an idea. It's called Race Day, but it has nothing to do with cars. He urges all Charlotteans to have lunch once each week with a person of a different race.