Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

You are here

Home

90s Charlotte 1990-1999

1993 - Catawba Nation

November, 1993 - President Bill Clinton signs legislation that expands the Catawba Indian reservation to 4,200 acres. The tribe that lived so closely with Charlotte's early settlers more than 200 years ago must now promise to drop its legal actions against private individuals who own disputed property. The Catawbas will receive $50 million in cash, and the right to purchase available land to expand their reservation.

Date of Event:

1992 - Magnet Schools

 March 31, 1992 - It's been more than 20 years since court-ordered busing integrated the Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools. Now, the school board votes unanimously in favor of magnet schools, which will create special programs to attract students from different neighborhoods, races and economic backgrounds. Magnet schools offer added resources that help make integration voluntary. The school board votes to create magnet schools.

Date of Event:

1994 - USAir 1016 Crash

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. An investigation will determine that unstable air, called wind shear, caused the DC-9 to crash.

Date of Event:

1992 - Night Racing

May 1992 - Light floods the Charlotte Motor Speedway and night racing begins. In the gripping race around the super-speedway track, the lead changes hands three times in the last lap. Driver Davey Allison is knocked unconscious, unaware until he wakes that he has won. Charlotte Speedway

Date of Event:

1990 - Changing Faces

The number of Asian residents in Charlotte has tripled in just the last 10 years. As the region's population becomes more diverse, the changes are reflected in the variety of ethnic stores, restaurants and shops that spring up.

Date of Event:

1992 - Death of a Pioneer

September 14, 1992 - Somebody had to be first, Gus Roberts said. Now, the man who was one of Charlotte's desegregation pioneers has died. In 1957, he was the first black student at all-white Central High. Of the four students who broke this color barrier, only Gus Roberts graduated from the school he risked his life to integrate.

Date of Event:

1995 - Library of the Year

The Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County is named Library of the Year by Library Journal. It notes children's programs, genealogical resources and computer technology among the resources the library provides to a growing population with changing needs. Each year, the Novello festival draws thousands to see nationally known authors and book illustrators. The library has earned recognition for its innovative programs and community outreach.Charlotte Mecklenburg Library named Library of the Year

Date of Event:

1992- NC African Americans Elected

November 3, 1992  - Charlotte's Mel Watt and Warrenton's Eva Clayton are the first blacks from North Carolina elected to the U.S. Congress since the era that followed the Civil War more than 100 years ago.

Date of Event:

1990 - Lighting the Way

December, 1990 - Three hundred local school volunteers are honored as Points of Light, President George Bush's award that recognizes the contributions of ordinary citizens. Through the Charlotte-Mecklenburg program, 90% of students that have been tutored or mentored have been promoted. 

Date of Event:

1992 - 60 Stories

October 24, 1992  - NationsBank Corporate Center opens. At 60 stories the skyscraper is the South's tallest building, costing $150 million. Located on the Square in the heart of Charlotte, it has been designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli. The building commands its corner and displays in its lobby an impressive mural painted on plaster, called a fresco, by artist Ben Long. In 1998 the company merged again and became "Bank of America."

Date of Event: