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History Timeline

1956 - Early integration

January 5, 1956 - Federal law desegregates interstate buses, meaning it will be illegal for these buses to have separate sections for black and white riders. But the law only applies to buses that travel between states. Buses that run within one state can still be segregated. Even in Charlotte, there are separate waiting rooms for white people and black people, called colored. Desegregation of buses and trains

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1963 - JFK Assassinated

November 22, 1963 - Bullets hit the car carrying John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas and kill America's 35th president. Only 46 years old, Kennedy had been a World War II Navy hero and a U.S. senator. He fought to eliminate schools separating students according to their race, called segregation. Kennedy's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, is captured by police and killed the next day by Jack Ruby. But nothing can ease the nation's grief. 

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1945 - Germany Surrenders

May 7, 1945 - Less than a year after the invasion of Normandy, France, called D-Day, Germany surrenders. Throughout Europe and the U.S., people celebrate. But the war is not over. Japan has not surrendered and fighting continues in Asia. The U.S. government has limited, or rationed, the amount of household goods families can buy. Every bit of America's resources go to help the war effort.Ration Books

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1956 - Expansion

August 27, 1956 - Independence Boulevard opens, replacing unpaved sections of Stonewall Street. As the massive roadway links the east and west sides of Charlotte, it cuts through Second Ward, home of many of the city's black families. It won't be long before the entire Second Ward neighborhood is torn down.

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1975 - Arthur Smith

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. The record company had used Smith's music as part of the song Dueling Banjos in the movie Deliverance, without obtaining permission or giving credit for the work. Arthur Smith with his son, Reggie, c. 1958

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1916 - Woodrow Wilson Visits

May 20, 1916 - The man who attended Davidson College for one year comes to Charlotte. He is now President Woodrow Wilson. It is blisteringly hot on Meck Dec Day, Mecklenburg's celebration of Independence. Mayor T.L. Kirkpatrick speaks so long when introducing the president that wool-clad members of a marching band faint.From l. to r.: Governor Manning of South Carolina, President Wilson, Governor Craig of North Carolina, Mayor Kilpatrick of Charlotte

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1924 - Speedway

October 24, 1924 - The old dirt track has been replaced, and the first race is run on Charlotte's Speedway's new wooden track south of town. The 250-mile race draws nearly 50,000 fans. The track will operate until 1927, then close. The new Charlotte Motor Speedway will not open until 1960. 

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1929 - Black Monday

October 31, 1929 - Many stock market investors lose everything they own as the stock market collapses in the Crash. Families panic and try to withdraw their money from banks. As banks run out of cash they shut their doors. Bad loans and business conditions force many companies to close. There is no work for millions of Americans. The Great Depression has begun.

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1916 - Flood

July 1916 - After 22 inches of rain fall in the North Carolina mountains, a storm brings 50-mile-per-hour winds to Mecklenburg County. All along the Catawba River, factories and bridges are washed away, along with bales of cotton going to market.

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1926 - The Babe in Charlotte

April 8, 1926 - Baseball legend Babe Ruth delights sports fans when he hits a home run as the New York Yankees play the Brooklyn Robins in Charlotte. Four thousand fans show up to see the exhibition game played at Wearn Field on South Mint Street.

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