Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

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History Timeline

1915 - Movie Premiere

November 15, 1915 - Five thousand people crowd into the Academy of Music in downtown Charlotte. It is the premiere of the silent film Birth of a Nation. A 30-piece orchestra accompanies it. Based on a novel by Shelby's Thomas W. Dixon, the controversial D.W. Griffith movie glorifies the Ku Klux Klan and its role in the Reconstruction era that followed the Civil War.

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1923 - Efird's Store

October 19, 1923 - Efird's Department Store opens on North Tryon Street. The Efird family had operated the Charlotte Mercantile Company since the turn of the century, but now boasts it is the only store south of Philadelphia with escalators. In 1956, Efird's will be sold to its competitor, the Belk family stores.

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1929 - Gastonia Mill Strike

June 7, 1929 - In nearby Gastonia, there is a bitter struggle at the Loray textile mill. Organizers have come to Gastonia who want workers to join together in a group called a union. Some people believe the union can help workers. Others disagree. In a violent confrontation, Police Chief Aderholt is shot and killed. The trial will be moved to Mecklenburg County and seven people will be convicted of crimes. 

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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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1930 - No Jobs

Factories have shut down. People who had jobs just a short time ago have no money. Families try to share what little they have. A charity called the Salvation Army open soup kitchens and bread lines, trying to feed the hungry. In Charlotte, First National Bank, Mechanics & Farmers Bank, and Independence National Bank must close. They have no money to lend or to pay their depositors. Can America survive the Great Depression?

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1917 - Rosenwald's Gift

Northern businessman Julius Rosenwald donates millions of dollars to help build schools for black children in the South. In 15 states, there are 5,000 Rosenwald schools. Of the 813 in North Carolina, 26 are in Mecklenburg County. Many will be torn down as the school system modernizes, but a few will remain standing 80 years later.

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