Facts About Georgia History: 7 Things You Might Not Know

From laws on eating chicken to Civil War history, here are seven things you might not know about Georgia.

1. In Gainesville, known as the Chicken Capital of the World, it is illegal to eat chicken with a fork. The ordinance was passed in 1961 and there’s even a statue in the middle of the town with a chicken watching over passers-by. In 2009, a 91-year-old woman who was visiting Gainesville was "arrested" by a sheriff for not properly eating the chicken — an incident that was later revealed as a prank orchestrated by her friend.

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2. In more recent history, Georgia hosted the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. The Centennial Games in Atlanta cost $1.8 billion to stage. That year, U.S. teams took home the most medals from the games with 101, 44 of them being gold.

3. Coca-Cola was invented in Georgia by Dr. John S. Pemberton in 1886. Thinking the two C’s would go well with advertising, the name "Coca-Cola" was suggested by Pemberton's bookkeeper, Frank Robinson. The name stuck and Coca-Cola was first sold in Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta as a fountain drink. It is still one of America’s most popular sodas.

4. Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, grew up in Plains, Georgia. Carter founded the Jimmy Carter NHS Education Program for school groups to visit his historic sites, which include the Plains High School Museum, the 1976 Presidential Campaign Headquarters-Depot, and Jimmy Carter Boyhood Farm.

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5. Berry College in Rome, Georgia, was founded in 1902. The school has the world's largest college campus. With more than 27,000 acres of woodlands, meadows, and streams, Berry  has stunning views and visitors are even likely to see deer wandering the grounds. The school has also been the filming site of popular movies such as "Sweet Home Alabama" and “Remember The Titans.”

6. The second bloodiest battle in American history occurred at Chickamauga National Park in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. During the Civil War, in September 1863, Union and Confederate forces fought for control of nearby Chattanooga, Tennessee, known as the "Gateway to the Deep South." The Confederates won the two-day battle, which resulted in about 3,970 lives lost on both sides. Chickamauga is also the first National Military Park.

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