Zell Miller played a significant role in Georgia politics during the last half of the twentieth century, serving as mayor, state senator, lieutenant governor, governor, and U.S. senator. He earned both praise and criticism for his willingness to adapt to changes in the state’s political climate and is best remembered for his innovative and far-reaching strides to improve education at all levels within the state.  Early Life Zell Bryan Miller was born on February 24, 1932, in Young Harris (in Towns County), to Birdie Bryan and Stephen Grady Miller.

The 106th Field Signal Battalion marches near Camp Wheeler in Macon, circa 1918. During World War I Camp Wheeler was one of the largest war-training camps in Georgia. Courtesy of Todd Womack The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print. All requests for permission to publish or reproduce the resource must be submitted to the rights holder.

One of the deadliest hurricanes in American history made landfall south of Tybee Island near Savannah on August 27, 1893. Now known as the 1893 Sea Island Hurricane, the storm had winds as high as 120 mph and a sixteen-foot storm surge—the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane on the modern-day Saffir-Simpson scale. The storm devastated the barrier islands of Georgia and South Carolina, killing over 2,000 people and leaving more than 30,000 homeless.

After writing the charter for the University of Georgia, Abraham Baldwin served as the college's first president from 1786 to 1801. In 1787 he was chosen as one of four Georgia delegates to the Constitutional Convention. During his long political career, Baldwin also served in the Georgia General Assembly, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate. Courtesy of University of Georgia Photographic Services The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print.

In 1955 John Amos, along with his brothers William and Paul, founded the American Family Life Assurance Company in Columbus. Known today as Aflac, the company grew under Amos's leadership into an international corporation with more than 40 million policyholders in 2003. Courtesy of Aflac The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print.