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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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1945 - End of an Era

August 6, 1945  - The U.S. drops the world's first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The city is virtually destroyed. Three days later, a second bomb falls on Nagasaki, Japan. On September 2, the Japanese officially surrender and the war is over. Three hundred thousand American lives have been lost. In the six years of war, more than 54 million have died worldwide. Six hundred men and women from Mecklenburg County have given their lives in the fight for freedom. World leaders vow that such a war will never be fought again.

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1970 - City within a city

February 12, 1970  - Southpark opens on more than 100 acres of farmland southeast of downtown Charlotte. The new shopping mall greets 92,000 visitors its first day. Downtown stores will see a 25% drop in their sales the first year of Southpark's operation. The city's retail focus has begun to shift from away from its center city toward the suburbs. South Park Mall

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1965 - The Swann Case

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. The Swann case will have national impact: The nation must ultimately accept integration, which removes the boundaries that separate people according to race. Julius Chambers

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1941 - Pearl Harbor

December 7, 1941 - As the sun rises over Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Japanese war planes attack the U.S. Navy base. It is the first act of war against the U.S. The Japanese sink 19 ships. Over 2,400 American service personnel and civilians are killed. The nation, terrified, waits to see what will happen next

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1970 - School Busing begins

September 9, 1970 - Busing has begun. Children are assigned to schools in an attempt to achieve integration, which removes barriers that separate people by race. Still, thousands of parents resist the changes and complain loudly to the school board. The board will go to the U.S. Supreme Court, and appeal Judge McMillan's decision to use busing to integrate the schools. The highest court in the nation will decide the Swann case. The outcome could affect every community in the country. Bus Ride to a New School

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1975 - President Ford in Charlotte

May 20, 1975 - President Gerald Ford draws a crowd estimated near 100,000 when he speaks at Charlotte's Freedom Park. He has come to help celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. Long a topic of controversy, some believe the Meck Dec never existed. Others swear their ancestors witnessed or signed the document that proclaimed freedom from Britain in 1775. Ford Greets Crowd of Thousands at Freedom Park

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1941 - U. S. Joins War

December 8, 1941- President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Congress agree: The U.S. must declare war on Japan. Two days later, we will declare war on Germany and Italy as well. The U.S. has entered World War II. For nearly four years, its effects will be felt in every community across the country. More than 20,000 men and women from Mecklenburg County will serve in the U.S. military during the war. 

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