AJC Flashback Photos: April in Atlanta and Georgia

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AJC Flashback Photos: April in Atlanta and Georgia

Take a look back at some faces, places and events from the AJC Photo Archives.

1966 -- The Atlanta Braves played the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first Major League Baseball game in Atlanta Stadium, which the Pirates won 3-2 in 13 innings. Right fielder Hank Aaron (at bat) went 1 for 6 and stole a base. In April 1974, Aaron would hit his 715th home run, breaking Babe Ruth’s record in front of the home crowd. MARION CROWE / AJC FILE

1977 -- “Solenopsis Invicta was first found in the U.S. in the 1940s -- in Mobile, Alabama.” That’s the original photo caption, which is a fancy way of saying you’re looking at a super close-up of that spring and summer mega-pest, the fire ant. AJC PHOTO ARCHIVES

1943 -- Pfc. Arthur B. Ellison of Fort McPherson sounds a bugle call in honor of Army Day, April 6. AJC PHOTO ARCHIVES

1968 -- Coretta Scott King, family members and friends, including singer Harry Belafonte (right center) mourn during Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral. AJC PHOTO ARCHIVES

1968 -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sympathy marchers walk arm-in-arm along Northside Drive after his assassination. AJC PHOTO ARCHIVES

1966 -- An unidentified Boy Scout injured by a gas explosion in a northwest Georgia cave gets emergency care from rescuers. Two rescuers and the scouts’ guide were killed. BILL WILSON / AJC FILE

1948 -- Atlanta's first eight black police officers listen to speakers during an NAACP-sponsored program honoring them at Greater Mount Calvary Baptist Church. From left to right: Willie Elkins, Willard Strickland, John H. Sanders, Robert McKibbens, Ernest Lyons, Johnnie P. Jones, Henry Hooks, and Claude Dixon. W.A. ALEXANDER III / AJC FILE

1971 -- Chip Carter, the middle son of then-Governor Jimmy Carter, enjoys a spring day skateboarding in the driveway of the Governor's Mansion in Buckhead. BILLY DOWNS / AJC FILE

1935 -- This crowd cheers the arrival of the first legal stock of liquor at Marietta after the repeal of Prohibition. AJC PHOTO ARCHIVES

1958 -- Gymnast Becky Butler goes head over heels at a YMCA class. CHARLES PUGH / AJC FILE

1936 -- View of widespread damage in Gainesville streets after the 1936 tornado. In this photo, fires are still burning. KENNETH ROGERS / AJC FILE

1910s -- World War I soldiers train with various artillery and tanks at Fort Benning near Columbus. AJC PHOTO ARCHIVES

1945 -- An armed guard from Camp Sibert presents arms as the special train bearing the body of President Franklin D. Roosevelt pulls into Atlanta’s Terminal Station (now demolished) on its way from Warm Springs, Ga., to Washington D. C. AJC PHOTO ARCHIVES

1951 -- Original caption: “Demonstrating her Blue and Gray cab's two-way radio is Mrs. Viola Arnold, who is so small she has to sit on a pillow to see over the wheel.” AJC PHOTO ARCHIVES

1947 -- Charley Trippi warms up for the Atlanta Crackers. Trippi was also famous for his exploits on the UGA football field. AJC PHOTO ARCHIVES

1961 -- Veterinary anatomy models are displayed at the UGA campus. KENNETH ROGERS / AJC FILE

1977 -- Rescue workers and investigators comb through the wreckage of the Southern Airways Flight 242 plane crash in New Hope, Ga. Of the total passengers and crew, 63 persons died and 22 survived. Nine people on the ground were killed. MINLA LINN / AJC FILE

1977 -- After walking across Tallulah Gorge in north Georgia in 1970, tightrope walker Karl Wallenda performed his high-wire act for an Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium audience. Less than a year later, in March 1978, Wallenda fell to his death during a similar act in Puerto Rico. He was 73. MINLA LINN / AJC FILE

1952 -- A crowd descends on downtown Swainsboro, Ga., for the Pine Tree Festival. CAROLYN CARTER / AJC FILE

1977 -- Lynyrd Skynyrd band members Ronnie Van Zant (left) and Gary Rossington present a gold record to Mayor Maynard Jackson (right), who accepts on behalf of the city of Atlanta. In October 1977, Van Zant was killed whe the band’s plane crashed in Mississippi. Rossington was injured, but survived. BILLY DOWNS / AJC FILE

1963 -- Visitors take a tour through the gardens of the Magnolia Hall at Stone Mountain Park. AJC PHOTO ARCHIVES

1900 -- Atlanta police officers gather in Oakland Cemetery on Decoration Day. CHARLES KILLIAN / SPECIAL TO AJC

1977 -- Sanitation workers on strike: At Atlanta City Hall a protester is dragged away by police. BILLY DOWNS / AJC FILE

1978 -- Future Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin (center), then working in Mayor Maynard Jackson’s office, makes the Allman Brothers Band honorary citizens of the city. GEORGE A. CLARK / AJC FILE

1976 -- Original caption: “Relaxation takes strange forms. To most people a spot on the beach or a hammock in the shade would do quite nicely, thank you. But there are others, like this racquet ball player at Georgia State University, who would take exception to the conventional means of finding peace and tranquility. He has his own way of relaxing... like expending great amounts of energy." STEVE DEAL / AJC FILE

1980 -- The cotton mill that first attracted the Cabbagetown neighborhood's residents looms in the background. GEORGE A. CLARK / AJC FILE

1986 -- Defending Masters champion Bernhard Langer (left) shares a laugh with new champion Jack Nicklaus at the green jacket ceremony. The 1986 Masters title was Nicklaus’ 18th and final major championship at age 46. JOEY IVANSCO / AJC FILE

1980 -- Author James Baldwin speaks at Emory University during his lecture tour of the south. KENNETH WALKER / AJC FILE

1980 -- Atlanta Flames goalie Dan Bouchard (on ice) trips up Ed Johnstone (right) of the New York Rangers during a Flames home game at the Omni. CHARLES PUGH / AJC FILE

1971 -- Original caption: “As sun worshipers and street people converged on the final day of the 'People's Fair' in Piedmont Park, a number of the street youth participated in their own form of Sabbath observances. The Rev. Harky Kleinfelter (back to wall, white shirt) and minister to Atlanta's 10th Street 'strip' leads one prayer." AJC PHOTO ARCHIVES

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1966 -- The Atlanta Braves played the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first Major League Baseball game in Atlanta Stadium, which the Pirates won 3-2 in 13 innings. Right fielder Hank Aaron (at bat) went 1 for 6 and stole a base. In April 1974, Aaron would hit his 715th home run, breaking Babe Ruth’s record in front of the home crowd. MARION CROWE / AJC FILE

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