Weekly Interesting Facts

Did you know that Unnao, India is the sister city to Gainesville, Georgia?
Hall County, in northeast Georgia, was created in 1818 from Indian lands and named for Lyman Hall, signer of the Declaration of Independence and Georgia's governor from 1783 to 1784.
In 1937 & 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited the city.
In 1996, Gainesville served as the Rowing/Kayaking Venue for the 1996 Olympics. During the Olympics Gainesville was named Hospitality Capital of the World by an NBC Broadcaster.
In 1902, Gainesville became the first city south of Baltimore to have street lights.
Did you know Gainesville High School was founded in 1889?
In the 1800's, Gainesville, GA was known as "Mule Camp Springs."
Pearce Auditorium in late 1895, a meeting of the Gainesville, Ga., townspeople discussed the need for a new auditorium. Dr. A.W. Van Hoose and Dr. Haywood Jefferson Pearce, president of Brenau University from 1893-1943, asked the community to lend Brenau US$10,000 without interest for five years for the construction of an auditorium. The funds were raised in a short period, and the contract for the construction was signed April 1, 1896. The auditorium was completed within only a year and dedicated on May 21, 1897, as “the largest of its kind in the South.” Nearly 67 years later on March 26, the auditorium was dedicated in honor of Pearce.
Confederate general James Longstreet was appointed postmaster of Gainesville in 1879 and called the town home for almost three decades.
Lake Lanier covers over 38,000 acres with a shoreline of 692 miles.
Ivey Wingo was born on Tuesday, July 8, 1890, in Gainesville, Georgia. Wingo was 20 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 20, 1911, with the St. Louis Cardinals. Did you know that you can compare Ivey Wingo to other rookies who also had their Major League debut during the 1911 National League season?
Gainesville sits on the very fringe of Tornado Alley, a region of the United States where severe weather is common.
In the late 1930s a local entrepreneur named Jesse Jewell launched what would become the most important economic endeavor in northeast Georgia: poultry raising, processing, and distribution. By the beginning of World War II (1941-45), chickens had replaced cotton as the area's leading agricultural moneymaker.
December 19, 1902- Gainesville became the first city south of Baltimore to have street lights
The Jackson building was the City's first skyscraper. The formal opening was on December 22, 1915. The building is still standing today.
Pro Golfer Tommy Aaron was born in Gainesville, Georgia. He began playing golf at age 12 and won two Georgia Amateur titles, two Southeastern Amateur events and two Georgia Open crowns in the late 1950s despite not having a golf course in his hometown. He attended the University of Florida, where he was a member of the Beta Zeta Chapter of the Kappa Alpha Order. He lost the U.S. Amateur to Charles Coe in 1958. He was a member of the 1959 U.S. Walker Cup team. He won the Western Amateur in 1960. Aaron turned professional in 1960. His first professional victory came at the 1969 Canadian Open, which was not a PGA Tour event at that time. The following year he gained his first PGA Tour victory at the Atlanta Classic. In 1972, he won the Trophée Lancôme in France. Aaron's best year on tour in monetary terms was 1972 when he finished in ninth place on the PGA Tour money list. Aaron won the Masters Tournament in 1973, which was his one major championship. He also finished in the top ten at the Masters in 1967–1970. His only other top ten major championship finishes came at the PGA Championship in 1965 and 1972. In 2000 he made the cut at the Masters at the age of 63, breaking a record previously held by Gary Player. Aaron played for the U.S. in the Ryder Cup in 1969, 1973 and had a record of one win, one tie and four losses. In the 1980s and 1990s, Aaron played on the Senior PGA Tour, winning $3,646,302. The 1992 Kaanapali Classic on that tour was his last professional win. Aaron was a student of golf instructor Manuel de la Torre.
In the late 1930s a local entrepreneur named Jesse Jewell launched what would become the most important economic endeavor in northeast Georgia: poultry raising, processing, and distribution. By the beginning of World War II (1941-45), chickens had replaced cotton as the area's leading agricultural moneymaker. By war's end Gainesville was known as the "Poultry Capital of the World." Since 1995, the state of Georgia claims that title officially.
The first newspaper in Gainesville, Georgia was called the "Airline Eagle" publication began in 1860 and later was renamed "Gainesville Eagle".
President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Gainesville in 1937 and 1939.
On January 1, 1903 a cyclone struck Gainesville leaving 106 people dead, 300 injured and property damage estimated at $750,000.00.
Did you know in the year 1851 that fire destroyed much of Gainesville?
Did you know Gainesville is has two nicknames? "Queen City of the Mountains" & "Poultry Capital of the World"
Gainesville was the sight of the fifth deadliest tornado in U.S. history in 1936, where Gainesville was decimated and 203 people were killed.