May 22, 1782

1782 In New York, Sir Guy Carleton, commanding general of British forces in America, ordered the evacuation of Savannah and all of Georgia by British forces.

May 22, 1819

1819 The Savannah steamed out of Savannah harbor destined for Liverpool, England -- a journey that would take 29 days and make history as the first steamboat to cross the Atlantic Ocean. However, once at sea, most of the Savannah’s voyage was made under sail, as its supply of fuel (coal and wood) was exhausted after 105 hours of steam power.

May 22, 1875

1875 Artist Lucy May Stanton was born in Atlanta, Georgia. By age seven. she was already showing great promise as a painter. Throughout her adult life, Stanton traveled extensively doing exhibitions and teaching art and art history. She was most noted for the unique style of her miniatures, which won her numerous awards and critical acclaim. Collections of her work are housed in many of America’s finest museums, including the Metropolitan Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Georgia Museum of Art. Emory University also houses a large collection of her miniatures. In her latter years, Stanton lived in Athens with her sister, continuing to paint from a studio she had constructed in 1910. She died in Athens on March 19, 1931, and was buried in Oconee Hills Cemetery.

May 22, 1884

1884 Former Confederate general William Tatum Wofford died near Cass Station, Georgia. Born June 28, 1824 in Habersham County, Ga., Wofford became a lawyer, planter, politician, and newspaper editor -- also fighting in the Mexican War. In June 1861, he was designated a colonel in the 18th Georgia, subsequently serving in North Carolina, the Peninsula Campaign, and the battles of Seven Pines, Seven Days, Second Manassas, South Mountain, Sharpsburg, and Fredericksburg. In Jan. 1863, he was promoted to brigadier general and commanded a brigade in McLaws’ Division at Salem Church and Gettysburg , and a brigade in Kersha’s Division at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, and Cedar Creek. Toward the end of the war, Gov. Joseph E. Brown requested that Wofford command the Dept. of North Georgia. After the war, he was elected to Congress from Georgia, but Radical Republicans would not allow he and other Democrats to take their seats.

May 22, 1913

1913 A new controversy arose in the Mary Phagan murder investigation. Phagan’s stepfather signed an affidavit accusing Thomas Felder, the attorney responsible for bringing the Burns Detective Agency into the case, of approaching him about allowing Felder to prosecute the case. Detectives presented transcripts of dictograph recordings in which Felder had offered them $1000 for access to the case evidence.

May 22, 1927

1927 Oglethorpe University presented an honorary Doctor of Laws degree to publisher William Randolph Hearst, who was a generous benefactor of the Atlanta institution.

May 22, 1932

1932 In the middle of the Depression, New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt came to Atlanta to give the commencement address [see text] for Oglethorpe University. More than 4,000 people attended his speech in the Fox Theatre. This would be Roosevelt’s last major speech before accepting the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party in Chicago in July.

May 22, 1944

1944 A 3-cent stamp commemorating the 125th anniversary of the steamship Savannah becoming the first steam-powered vessel to cross the Atlantic Ocean was released with first day of issue ceremonies held in Savannah, Ga.

May 22, 1981

1981 Police staking out a bridge on Cobb Drive hear a splash in the water and see a car driving off the bridge. The car was stopped and the driver, Wayne Williams, questioned. Two days later a body is discovered downstream from the bridge, and almost a monthy later Williams was arrested as the main suspect in the Atlanta Child Murders case.