J. Murrey Atkins Library will host a campus-wide celebration of Charlotte's 250th anniversary on Monday, Dec. 3, the official date of the founding of the Queen City. From 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., students can enter a drawing to win prizes by participating in several fun activities:
- Interact with a Charlotte historical figure and answer a trivia question about them
- Make a Charlotte-themed crown in the Makerspace and play trivia
- Mining Memories: Make a video about your own experience in Charlotte or at UNC Charlotte in the EZ Video Studio to be preserved by the University Archives
- Enjoy an immersive Bonnie Cone multimedia experience in the VisLab
- Take a selfie with the bust of Queen Charlotte in the Special Collections Reading Room.
- Enjoy a display about Charlotte history, and see an original letter written and signed by Queen Charlotte
CLT250 is a yearlong, citywide celebration of events marking Charlotte's 250th anniversary. It is a time to recognize the city’s history, commemorate its spirit and celebrate its future. CLT250 kicked off July 3, 2018, with festivities that include large and small events and community-led celebrations culminating with a citywide art, music, food and film festival, Charlotte Shout, in May 2019.
“Atkins Library holds a wealth of history about Charlotte and our region,” said Dawn Schmitz, associate dean for Special Collections and University Archives. “We are excited to join the CLT250 celebration by promoting our unique materials and resources to highlight Charlotte’s history all the way back to Queen Charlotte.”
10 cool facts about Charlotte
1. The city and county were both named in honor Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who was married to King George III of England.
2. Between 1900 and 1910, Charlotte’s population increased from 18,091 to 34,014 to become the most populous city in the state of North Carolina.
3. Although NASCAR’s corporate headquarters are in Daytona Beach, Florida, 75 percent of NASCAR teams have their headquarters in the Charlotte area.
4. The first African American to be elected to public office in Mecklenburg County in the 20th century was Frederick Douglas Alexander, who joined the Charlotte City Council in 1965, the same year the national Voting Rights Act was passed.
5. The Catawba people settled on land that is now the Carolinas more than 6,000 years ago and established the trading paths that are now Trade and Tryon Streets.
6. The first licensed female physician in the American South was Dr. Annie Lowrie Alexander, who was born in Mecklenburg County and opened a practice on North Tryon Street in 1890.
7. The first U.S. Mint branch was the Charlotte Mint, which was built in 1837 following the Carolina Gold Rush that started with the 1799 discovery of gold in Cabarrus County.
8. Charlottean Harry Golden, a civil rights advocate who published The Carolina Israelite newspaper, was a best-selling author and humorist who was a regular on late-night television in the 1960s.
9. The first minor league baseball team in Charlotte was the Hornets, formed in 1892.
10. A mixed drink could not be sold in a restaurant or bar in North Carolina between 1909 and 1978. “Liquor by the drink” was legalized finally after lobbying by Charlotte business leaders led the state legislature to allow cities to put it to a vote.