What is a large Southern city close to home?
The clue in Final Jeopardy Friday on the quiz show “Jeopardy!” stumped all three of the players, but the answer was close to home for people in Georgia.
The clue involved a state capital named in 1845 for a feminized name of a large body of water.
The capital of Georgia was originally Savannah. Another capital was Louisville, and it also was in Milledgeville for a time. The current capital was named Terminus, then Marthasville, and then something else.
The correct answer: Atlanta.
But is Atlanta named for a variation on the word Atlantic? There are conflicting accounts. Some say yes, like this blog post at Emory University, and that the name is also influenced by the name of the railroad that served the city, the Western and Atlantic. There are other reports that it was named for the daughter of Gov. Wilson Lumpkin, whose middle name was Atalanta. But it is also possible for two things to be true at the same time.
About the Author
Brian O'Shea is a senior digital producer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He works with the newsroom to identify topics of interest to Atlanta readers and also works with voter guides and election results. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia and The Ohio State University Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism.
