Atlanta in 50 Objects
A pink pig and a renegade cow. A movie prop and a Coke bottle. A Pulitzer Prize–winning book and a Nobel Prize–winning icon.
How do you tell the story of Atlanta in 50 objects? We decided the best experts were Atlantans themselves—residents who cheer the Braves and rue I–285 rush-hour traffic, who understand how Civil War losses and Civil Rights victories together helped forge the city’s unique identity. Atlanta History Center asked the public to submit what objects they think best represent their town. The parameters were broad: an object could also be a person, a place, an institution, or an idea. After receiving hundreds of submissions, History Center staff assembled a collection of fifty pieces that represent the themes identified by the public. In addition to items from our own collections, we have partnered with many local institutions and individuals to gather artifacts from around the city to tell this community–driven story.
CNN
Local media mogul Ted Turner launched Cable News Network (CNN) in June 1980, the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Turner’s all-news channel was a big gamble and no one was sure that it would succeed.
In 1982, the network launched the spin-off channel Headline News (HLN), which strictly focused on rolling news coverage in half-hour time slots, while CNN provided a mix of newscasts and specialized topical and featured news programs.
In 1985, Turner purchased the Omni International hotel on Marietta Street and renamed it CNN Center. Housing the network’s studios and offices, CNN Center was a key component in the revitalization of downtown Atlanta.
CNN’s coverage of the Persian Gulf War in 1991, being the only news outlet reporting from inside Iraq during the American bombing campaign, lifted the cable channel’s ratings past the Big Three U.S. news networks – ABC, CBS, NBC – for the first time. CNN changed how Americans see and process news. Before the cell phone and the Internet, people could turn to CNN and watch history unfold before their eyes.
Ted Turner at a ceremony for CNN’s launch, June 1, 1980. Courtesy of Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center, Boyd Lewis Photographs