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1938 - A Room of Her Own

In a boarding house on East Boulevard, author Carson McCullers is at work. She will win national acclaim when her novel, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, is published in 1940. McCullers is one of many writers who spend time in Charlotte during their careers.

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1914 - Women's Suffrage

November 9, 1914 - Across the nation, a movement called Suffrage has been gathering support since Revolutionary days. Women are allowed to vote in some states, but not in North Carolina. Today, Charlotte's Selwyn Hotel hosts the state's first suffrage convention. Only when the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution passes will women win this crucial right in 1920.Suffragettes

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1922 - Charlotte Airwaves

April 10, 1922 - With 100 watts of power, WBT signs on the air. It is one of the nation's first radio stations. By the 1930s, WBT will be broadcasting the popular adventure series, The Lone Ranger. Country music artists who hope to find success play and sing as devoted listeners tune in. By 1992, WBT will broadcast its signal with 98,000 watts of power, nearly 100 times more than when it began.

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1938 - Trolley Service Ended

March 14, 1938  - Old #85 makes its last run as buses replace Charlotte's streetcars. The city continues to grow, and the streetcars that made turn-of-the-century suburban development possible are being replaced. In a poignant ceremony at the city's crossroads known as the Square, people bid goodbye to the beloved trolley. Charlotte Streetcar

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1915 - Sinking of the Lusitania

May 7, 1915 - Germany dominates Europe's war. A German submarine sinks a British passenger ship, the Lusitania. Nearly 1,200 non-military people, or civilians, die, including more than 100 Americans. Germany claims the ship is carrying war supplies. But the British deny it. The American public begins to support U.S. involvement in the war.

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1923 - Good Works

Charlottean I.D. Blumenthal opens Radiator Specialties. He will begin a legacy of charity and goodwill, called philanthropy. The Blumenthal family will help raise money for community education and to care for the elderly. A modern performing arts center will bear the Blumenthal name.

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1939 - War in Europe

September 1, 1939 - After years of growing tensions among European countries, Germany invades neighboring Poland. This marks the beginning of World War II. Over the next two years, Germany will invade nine other countries. The U.S. will try to remain uninvolved, or neutral, in the fighting. 

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1915 - Movie Premiere

November 15, 1915 - Five thousand people crowd into the Academy of Music in downtown Charlotte. It is the premiere of the silent film Birth of a Nation. A 30-piece orchestra accompanies it. Based on a novel by Shelby's Thomas W. Dixon, the controversial D.W. Griffith movie glorifies the Ku Klux Klan and its role in the Reconstruction era that followed the Civil War.

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1923 - Efird's Store

October 19, 1923 - Efird's Department Store opens on North Tryon Street. The Efird family had operated the Charlotte Mercantile Company since the turn of the century, but now boasts it is the only store south of Philadelphia with escalators. In 1956, Efird's will be sold to its competitor, the Belk family stores.

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1929 - Gastonia Mill Strike

June 7, 1929 - In nearby Gastonia, there is a bitter struggle at the Loray textile mill. Organizers have come to Gastonia who want workers to join together in a group called a union. Some people believe the union can help workers. Others disagree. In a violent confrontation, Police Chief Aderholt is shot and killed. The trial will be moved to Mecklenburg County and seven people will be convicted of crimes. 

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