Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

You are here

Home

History Timeline

Discover Charlotte

On December 3, 1968, the City of Charlotte began a year-long celebration of the 200th anniversary of its chartering by the colonial assembly of North Carolina. As part of that celebration, the Chamber of Commerce sponsored a promotional film entitled "Discover Charlotte." The film featured the narration of CBS News correspondent and Charlotte native, Charles Kuralt, and music by local composer, Loonis McGlohon.

Date of Event:

Revolutionary War Veterans

In 1841, the Federal Government published A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services, giving the names, ages, and places of residence of persons entitled to pensions on the basis of their service in the Revolutionary War or other conflicts. The list included 22 names for Mecklenburg County. (Mecklenburg in 1841 still included the territory that in 1842 would become part of Union County.) The names are given below:

Date of Event:

1993 - Hornets in Playoffs

The Charlotte Hornets have a great season and go the NBA playoff games. Devoted fans are overjoyed, especially for Tyrone Muggsy Bogues. At 5'3, he is the shortest player in the NBA.Muggsy Bogues

Date of Event:

1993 - NFL Comes to Charlotte

October 26, 1993 - The National Football League plans to create two new teams. Charlotte has promised to do whatever it takes to win an NFL franchise. Tonight, thousands of sports fans hold their breath. The announcement is made. Charlotte will be the home of the Carolina Panthers! NFL Celebration

Date of Event:

1980 - An Artist Comes Home

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. Bearden's works have hung in New York's finest museums and galleries. Today, Bearden's one-man show opens at Charlotte's Mint Museum of Art. 

Date of Event:

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:

1981 - Discovery Place

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. With its modern building on North Tryon Street, Discovery Place is the urban counterpart to the Nature Museum's 30 acres of lush woods near Freedom Park.

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: