by tyler | Feb 26, 2024 | CNN, us
Here’s a look at the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march in Alabama.
Throughout March of 1965, a group of demonstrators faced violence as they attempted to march from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery, Alabama, to demand the right to vote for black people.
One of the pivotal days was March 7, when 17 people were hospitalized and dozens more injured by police, including future Congressman John Lewis who suffered a fractured skull. Since that time, March 7 has been known as “Bloody Sunday.”
The march has been reenacted many times on its anniversary. In 2015, President Barack Obama marked the 50th anniversary of the march by delivering a speech at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.
It is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Selma to Montgomery.
February 1965 – Marches and demonstrations over voter registration prompt Alabama Governor George C. Wallace to ban nighttime demonstrations in Selma and Marion, Alabama.
February 18, 1965 – During a march in Marion, state troopers attack the demonstrators. State trooper James Bonard Fowler shoots and kills Jimmie Lee Jackson. Fowler was charged with murder in 2007 and pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2010.
March 7, 1965 – About 600 people begin a march from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery, Alabama, led by Lewis and Hosea Williams. Marchers demand an end to discrimination in voter registration. At the Edmund Pettus Bridge, state and local lawmen attack the marchers with billy clubs and tear gas, driving them back to Selma.
Read More: Selma priest remembers Bloody Sunday.
March 9, 1965 – Martin Luther King Jr. leads another march to the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The march is largely symbolic; as arranged previously, the crowd turns back at a barricade of state troopers. Demonstrations are held in cities across the United States to show solidarity with the Selma marchers.
March 9, 1965 – President Lyndon Johnson speaks out against the violence in Selma and urges both sides to respect the law.
March 9, 1965 – Unitarian Universalist minister James Reeb, in Selma to join marchers, is attacked by a group of white men and beaten. He dies of his injuries two days later.
March 10, 1965 – The US Justice Department files suit in Montgomery, Alabama, asking for an order to prevent the state from punishing any person involved in a demonstration for civil rights.
March 17, 1965 – Federal District Court Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr. rules in favor of the marchers. “The law is clear that the right to petition one’s government for the redress of grievances may be exercised in large groups.”
March 18, 1965 – Governor Wallace goes before the state legislature to condemn Johnson’s ruling. He states that Alabama cannot provide the security measures needed, blames the federal government, and says he will call on the federal government for help.
March 19, 1965 – Wallace sends a telegram to President Johnson asking for help, saying that the state does not have enough troops and cannot bear the financial burden of calling up the Alabama National Guard.
March 20, 1965 – President Johnson issues an executive order federalizing the Alabama National Guard and authorizes whatever federal forces the Defense Secretary deems necessary.
March 21, 1965 – About 3,200 people march out of Selma for Montgomery under the protection of federal troops. They walk about 12 miles a day and sleep in fields at night.
March 25, 1965 – The marchers reach the state capitol in Montgomery. The number of marchers grows to about 25,000.
August 6, 1965 – President Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
June 4, 2015 – After a state resolution to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge is not acted upon, Lewis and Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Alabama), publish an article in the Selma Times-Journal in favor of keeping the name. “Keeping the name of the bridge is not an endorsement of the man who bares its name but rather an acknowledgment that the name of the bridge today is synonymous with the Voting Rights Movement which changed the face of this nation and the world.”
February 24, 2016 – The marchers receive a Congressional Gold Medal, Congress’ highest civilian honor.
June 3, 2021 – The National Trust for Historic Preservation includes the campsites used by the marchers in its annual list of the most endangered historic places in the United States.
by tyler | Feb 26, 2024 | CNN, us
Here’s a look at the life of Grammy Award-winning singer Justin Bieber.
Birth date: March 1, 1994
Birth place: London, Ontario, Canada
Birth name: Justin Drew Bieber
Father: Jeremy Bieber
Mother: Patricia Mallette
Marriage: Hailey Baldwin (2018-present)
Pattie Mallette was a teenage single mother who worked low paying jobs to support the family before her son became a star.
Taught himself to play guitar and piano as a child.
Fans of Bieber refer to themselves as “Beliebers” and describe themselves as having “Bieber Fever.”
Nominated for 23 Grammy Awards, and winner of two.
2007-2008 – Bieber’s mother begins posting videos of her son performing on YouTube. Record executive Scooter Braun sees the videos and flies Bieber and his mother to Atlanta and signs the teen to a contract.
2008 – Auditions for singer Usher and is signed to a contract on Island/Def Jam records.
May 2009 – Releases his first single, “One Time,” which goes platinum in the United States and Canada.
November 2009 – The seven-song EP “My World” is released, going platinum in the US.
November 2009 – Bieber’s appearance at Roosevelt Field Mall in New York must be canceled due to an out-of-control crowd of teen girls.
March 2010 – His first full-length album “My World 2.0” is released and debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. It sells approximately five million copies.
April 2010 – Performs on “Saturday Night Live.”
April 2010 – Police in Australia cancel a Bieber appearance after several girls are injured in the unruly crowd.
February 2011 – A 3D concert film, “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never,” is released.
November 2011 – Mariah Yeater, 20, files a lawsuit seeking child support, and a paternity test from Bieber. She alleges that she and the now 17-year-old Bieber had sex at a concert the previous year, and she now has a three-month-old son. The case is dropped a few weeks later.
November 2011 – Bieber’s second studio album, “Under the Mistletoe,” is released. It sells approximately two million copies.
June 2012 – His third studio album, “Believe,” is released and sells an estimated 2.7 million copies.
July 2012 – Involved in a high-speed chase with paparazzi in California.
March 4, 2013 – Bieber reportedly shows up two hours late to a concert in London, angering fans.
March 8, 2013 – Briefly hospitalized in London after feeling “light of breath.”
March 2013 – Bieber’s capuchin monkey, Mally, is confiscated by German customs officials. It is later taken in by a zoo in northern Germany.
July 2013 – A video is leaked showing Bieber allegedly urinating in a mop bucket and defacing a photo of former US President Bill Clinton. Bieber later apologizes to Clinton.
September 2013 – Bieber is widely mocked when photos are released showing his bodyguards carrying him up the Great Wall of China.
December 24, 2013 – Bieber announces on Twitter that he is retiring but later backtracks on the statement.
December 25, 2013 – His new movie, “Believe,” opens in theaters.
January 14, 2014 – Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies execute a search warrant at Bieber’s home in Calabasas, in connection with an alleged egging of his neighbor’s home.
January 23, 2014 – Bieber is arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and drag racing in Miami Beach, Florida.
January 29, 2014 – Bieber is charged with assault in Toronto for allegedly assaulting a limo driver on December 30. On the same day, Bieber’s attorney enters a written plea of not guilty on behalf of his client for charges he faces in Miami. He has been charged with DUI, resisting arrest and driving with an expired license.
May 12, 2014 – Los Angeles Police Department robbery detectives begin investigating a report of an alleged robbery “between an individual and Mr. Bieber near the batting cages” on Los Angeles’ west side.
July 9, 2014 – Bieber accepts a plea deal to settle a misdemeanor vandalism charge for egging his neighbor’s home in January. He must serve two years’ probation, pay $80,900 restitution for damages, and stay at least 100 yards way from the victim’s family.
August 13, 2014 – Pleads guilty to careless driving and resisting arrest, without violence, in his Miami DUI case. The plea agreement includes a charitable donation and an anger management course.
September 2, 2014 – Bieber is arrested on assault and dangerous driving charges stemming from an alleged fight after his ATV collides with a mini-van in Ontario, Canada. He is released on “a promise to appear” and is ordered to answer the charges at a later hearing in Stratford, Ontario.
September 8, 2014 – It is announced that the charge that Bieber assaulted his limo driver in Toronto in December has been dropped.
June 4, 2015 – Bieber is found guilty of assault and careless driving in Stratford, Ontario.
September 10, 2015 – The Guinness Book of World Records representative presents Bieber with a plaque for becoming the youngest male artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
February 15, 2016 – Wins the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for “Where Are Ü Now,” shared with Skrillex and Diplo.
July 18, 2017 – The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture releases a statement banning Bieber from performing in the Chinese capital. “His series of misbehaviors while living abroad and during his performances in China has caused public resentment,” reads the statement.
November 22, 2018 – After months of speculation that the pair had quietly married, the singer confirms his nuptials to model Hailey Baldwin on Instagram.
March 25, 2019 – In an Instagram post, Bieber announces that he’s taking time away from music to focus on his mental health.
December 24, 2019 – In a video posted on his YouTube page, Bieber announces a new album, a new single, a 50-city tour and a docuseries.
January 8, 2020 – Bieber reveals that he has been diagnosed with Lyme disease.
January 27, 2020 – “Justin Bieber: Seasons,” a 10-part YouTube docuseries debuts.
June 25, 2020 – Bieber files a $20 million defamation lawsuit against two women who accused him of sexual assault.
October 13, 2020 – Bieber launches a collection of shoes with comfort footwear brand Crocs, the Crocs X Justin Bieber with drew shoe.
March 14, 2021 – Wins the Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “10,000 Hours,” with Dan + Shay.
June 10, 2022 – Bieber announces he is taking a break from performing because he has Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which has left him unable to move half of his face and unable to take the stage.
January 24, 2023 – Hipgnosis, the music rights investment company, announces its purchase of the rights to Bieber’s publishing and artist royalties from his song catalog, a deal valued at $200 million.
by tyler | Feb 26, 2024 | CNN, us
Here’s a look at the life of former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan.
Birth date: March 6, 1926
Birth place: New York, New York
Birth name: Alan Greenspan
Father: Herbert Greenspan, stockbroker
Mother: Rose (Goldsmith) Greenspan
Marriages: Andrea Mitchell (1997-present); Joan Mitchell (1952-1953, annulled)
Education: New York University, B.S., 1948; New York University, M.A., 1950; New York University, Ph.D., 1977
Studied music at Juilliard and toured the country playing tenor sax and clarinet with The Henry Jerome Orchestra.
Was a close friend of writer Ayn Rand.
1948-1953 – Works at the National Industrial Conference Board.
1953 – Opens economic consulting firm Townsend-Greenspan & Co. with William Townsend.
1968 – Volunteers for the Richard Nixon presidential campaign.
1974-1977 – Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.
1977-1987 – After Jimmy Carter is inaugurated as president, Greenspan returns to Townsend-Greenspan & Co.
1981-1983 – Chairman of the National Commission on Social Security Reform.
June 2, 1987 – Is nominated to be chairman of the Federal Reserve by President Ronald Reagan.
July 31, 1987 – Townsend-Greenspan & Co. formally closes.
August 11, 1987 – Is sworn in as chairman of the Federal Reserve.
September 26, 2002 – Receives the honorary title Knight of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth II.
November 9, 2005 – Is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush.
January 31, 2006 – Retires as Federal Reserve chairman.
2006 – Opens the consulting firm Greenspan Associates.
September 17, 2007 – Greenspan’s book, “The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World,” is published.
October 22, 2013 – Greenspan’s book, “The Map and the Territory: Risk, Human Nature, and the Future of Forecasting,” is published.
October 2018 – “Capitalism in America: A History,” a book written by Greenspan and Adrian Wooldridge, is published.
by tyler | Feb 26, 2024 | CNN, us
Here is a look at the life of former US Secretary of Energy and former Texas Governor Rick Perry.
Birth date: March 4, 1950
Birth place: Paint Creek, Texas
Birth name: James Richard Perry
Father: Joseph Ray Perry, a farmer
Mother: Amelia (Holt) Perry
Marriage: Anita (Thigpen) Perry (November 6, 1982-present)
Children: Sydney and Griffin
Education: Texas A&M University, B.S., 1972
Military Service: US Air Force, 1972-1977, Captain
Religion: Methodist
Is an Eagle Scout.
Met his wife, Anita, in elementary school.
Has devoted years to supporting psychedelic-assisted therapies.
Is the longest-serving governor in Texas history.
1972-1977 – Serves in the US Air Force flying transport planes.
1977 – Returns to Texas to live and work on his father’s farm.
1978 – Forms JR Perry Farms with his father.
1985-1991 – Member of the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat from the 64th District.
1989 – Switches to the Republican Party.
1991-1999 – Commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture.
1999-2000 – Lieutenant Governor of Texas.
December 21, 2000 – Perry is sworn in as governor after George W. Bush resigns to become president of the United States.
November 5, 2002 – Perry is elected to a four-year term.
November 7, 2006 – Is reelected governor.
2008 – Perry’s book “On My Honor: Why the American Values of the Boy Scouts Are Worth Fighting For” is published.
November 2, 2010 – Perry is elected for a third term in office.
August 13, 2011 – Declares his candidacy for president during a speech in South Carolina.
January 19, 2012 – Suspends his presidential campaign and endorses Newt Gingrich.
July 8, 2013 – Announces that he will not run for reelection as Texas governor in 2014.
August 15, 2014 – A grand jury indicts Perry on charges of coercion of a public servant and abuse of his official capacity. He allegedly threatened to veto funding for a statewide public integrity unit run by Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg unless she resigned following her arrest on a drunk driving charge. She stayed in office, and he later vetoed the funding.
August 19, 2014 – Perry voluntarily appears at the Travis County Court house to be booked and fingerprinted and to have his mug shot taken. He pleads not guilty to charges of coercion of a public servant and abuse of official capacity. The next day he makes the first of six campaign style stops across New Hampshire.
November 18, 2014 – A state district judge in Texas denies a defense motion to have two felony charges dismissed against Perry.
January 15, 2015 – Delivers his farewell address as governor.
June 4, 2015 – Announces he is running for president at a rally in Addison, Texas.
July 24, 2015 – A Texas appeals court dismisses one of two criminal charges against Perry. The court agrees with the argument from Perry’s legal team that a Texas law concerning “coercion of a public servant” violates Perry’s First Amendment freedom of speech rights. The court is allowing a charge related to abuse of power to move forward.
September 11, 2015 – Suspends his campaign for the presidency.
January 25, 2016 – Perry endorses Ted Cruz.
February 24, 2016 – The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals drops charges against Perry alleging he abused his power while in office.
August 30, 2016 – Perry is revealed as one of the members of the upcoming 23rd season of reality television dance competition “Dancing with the Stars” on ABC.
September 27, 2016 – Is eliminated from “Dancing With The Stars.”
November 22, 2016 – Returns to “Dancing With The Stars” for the season finale. Perry dances with Vanilla Ice during a live performance of “Ice Ice Baby.”
December 13, 2016 – President-elect Donald Trump announces he has selected Perry to be his nominee for energy secretary.
January 19, 2017 – Perry says that he regrets recommending the elimination of the Department of Energy during a presidential debate in 2012.
March 2, 2017 – Perry is confirmed as energy secretary with a 62-37 vote in the Senate.
July 26, 2017 – Perry’s office acknowledges that he was the target of a prank call on July 19. During the 20-minute call from Russian pranksters, real names Vladimir Krasnov and Aleksey Stolyarov, respectively, one pretends to be Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman.
February 5, 2019 – Is named the designated survivor for Trump’s second State of the Union address. As the one member of the Cabinet remaining outside the House chamber during the speech in case disaster strikes, Perry will remain in an undisclosed location.
October 10, 2019 – House Democrats issue a subpoena to Perry for documents related to the Trump administration’s contacts with Ukraine as part of the ongoing House impeachment inquiry.
October 17, 2019 – Perry says he plans to resign in a video posted to YouTube.
November 20, 2019 – Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland testifies that he, along with special envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker and Perry, worked with Giuliani on Ukraine at the “express direction” of Trump and against their better judgment. Sondland also tells lawmakers that he had discussed the investigation in a July 19 email sent to several top US officials, including Perry. In response, the Department of Energy releases a statement denying Sondland’s claims, saying he “misrepresented both Secretary Perry’s interaction with Rudy Giuliani and direction the Secretary received from President Trump.”
December 1, 2019 – Perry resigns as US Secretary of Energy.
January 1, 2020 – Perry is appointed as a director of the general partner that controls Energy Transfer LP, a pipeline company.
February 17, 2021 – In a blog post on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s website, Perry is quoted as saying “partly rhetorically,” that “Texans would be without electricity for longer than three days to keep the federal government out of their business.” Millions of Texans lost power as the state experienced a massive failure brought on by a historic freeze and a power grid that – unlike the other 47 contiguous states – is separated from the rest of the country and is not under federal regulatory oversight, which prevents Texas from being able to borrow power from other states.
December 17, 2021 – January 6 House committee investigators believe that a November 4 text pushing “strategy” to undermine the presidential election came from Perry, three sources familiar with the investigation tell CNN. First presented on the House floor December 14, the text was included in about 6,000 documents turned over to the committee by former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Perry denies being the author.
by tyler | Feb 26, 2024 | CNN, us
Here’s a look at the Daytona 500, the first race of the racing season for NASCAR.
February 19, 2024 – William Byron wins the 66th Annual Daytona 500. Originally scheduled to take place on February 18, the race was delayed a day due to heavy rain.
February 19, 2023 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wins the 65th Annual Daytona 500 in double overtime. It is the longest Daytona 500 ever with a record of 212 laps raced.
“The Great American Race” is 200 laps and covers 500 miles.
February 22, 1959 – The first Daytona 500 is held and Lee Petty defeats Johnny Beauchamp.
February 18, 2001 – Seven time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt dies in a crash on the final lap of the 43rd Daytona 500.
Most Victories: (7) Richard Petty (1964, 66, 71, 73, 74, 79, 81)
Most Consecutive Victories: (2) Richard Petty (1973-74); Cale Yarborough (1983-84); Sterling Marlin (1994-95); Denny Hamlin (2019-20)
Fastest Winning Speed: 177.602 mph, Buddy Baker (1980)
Slowest Winning Speed: 124.740 mph, Junior Johnson (1960)
Youngest Winner: 20 years, 0 months, 1 day, Trevor Bayne (2011)
Oldest Winner: 50 years, 2 months, 11 days, Bobby Allison (1988)
by tyler | Feb 26, 2024 | CNN, us
Here’s some background information about Brian Nichols and the Atlanta courthouse shootings. On March 11, 2005, 33-year-old Nichols escaped from the Fulton County Courthouse while on trial for rape, and killed four people.
Birth date: December 10, 1971
Birth place: Baltimore, Maryland
Birth name: Brian Gene Nichols
Children: with Sonya Meredith: a son, March 8, 2005; with Stephanie Jay: Jasmine Jay, 1992
Judge Rowland Barnes, 64, Fulton County Superior Court Judge
Julie Brandau, 46, court reporter
Hoyt Teasley, 43, sheriff’s deputy
David Wilhelm, 40, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent
1995 – Moves to Atlanta with his family.
1996-1999 – Is on probation from 1996 to 1999 for a felony drug case in Cobb County, Georgia. He is arrested with a small amount of marijuana.
Summer 2004 – Is charged with the rape of his former girlfriend.
8:45 a.m. – While being escorted to his retrial for the rape and other charges, Nichols attacks a sheriff’s deputy when she removes his handcuffs, in a struggle that lasts about three minutes and is caught on surveillance video. He takes the key to a lock box where her gun is stored.
Nichols retrieves the gun, changes clothes and crosses a sky bridge into the next building and heads for the courtroom.
Nichols then goes to Judge Rowland Barnes’ private chambers, tears out the phone lines, takes three hostages and asks about the judge’s whereabouts. He leaves a number of times, finally returning with another deputy taken hostage.
8:55 a.m. – Seizes the second deputy’s gun and enters the courtroom from behind the bench, fires a single shot into Barnes’ head, then shoots and kills court reporter Julie Brandau.
Nichols goes down the stairwell, leaves through an emergency exit and sets off an emergency alarm.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, witnesses say he fires multiple shots into the abdomen of another sheriff’s deputy, Hoyt Teasley.
9:05 a.m. – Nichols first steals a dark SUV (2001 Mazda Tribute), drives fewer than three blocks and crashes through the gate of another parking deck.
9:07 a.m. – A tow truck driver, Deronte Franklin, says that after he directs police into the deck, Nichols comes back down and steals his truck at gunpoint.
9:14 a.m. – Nichols then drives to another deck about six blocks away where Almeta Kilgo, an employee of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, says he stole her 2004 Mercury Sable. She says she escaped after refusing Nichols’ order to stay in the car.
9:15 a.m. – Atlanta Police Command staff are notified at APD Communications that a Fulton County deputy has been shot.
9:16 a.m. – Nichols carjacks a blue Isuzu Trooper from Sung Chung, at 250 Spring St.
9:19 a.m. – The tow truck (1999 Ford F-350) stolen at 9:07 a.m. is recovered at a parking deck at 98 Cone St.
9:20 a.m. – Nichols drives a couple more blocks to another deck, Centennial Parking, 130 Marietta St., where he steals the car of AJC reporter Don O’Briant, a green 1997 Honda Accord. He says Nichols orders him into the trunk and pistol-whips him when he refuses. O’Briant manages to run away.
9:30 a.m. (approx.) – Police say they believe Nichols moved unnoticed across the street through a crowd gathering for a college basketball tournament, making his escape on a MARTA subway train to the Lenox area. Officials say nothing about Nichols’ whereabouts for the next 13 hours.
9:45 a.m. – The Atlanta Police Department takes command of the crime scene.
By about 7 p.m. – Authorities announce they are offering a $60,000 reward for information leading to Nichols’ capture.
10:40 p.m. – Nichols attempts to rob a couple at an apartment on Lenox Road, getting into a scuffle before fleeing.
Sometime later but less than five minutes away on foot, Nichols encounters US ICE Agent David Wilhelm and he shoots and kills Wilhelm, taking his gun, his badge and his blue Chevrolet pickup.
11 p.m. – An AJC employee finds O’Briant’s green Honda Accord on a different level of the same downtown parking garage, Centennial Parking.
About 2:30 a.m. – Ashley Smith returns from running an errand to her apartment in Duluth, about 20 miles northeast of Atlanta. Nichols forces his way into her apartment at gunpoint and binds her hands and feet.
Smith says as they spoke for hours about religion and family, Nichols began to relax, and eventually unbound her hands and feet.
After 6 a.m. – Smith says she followed Nichols so he could hide the truck and then took him back to the apartment in her car. She says that Nichols did not take any weapons on the trip, and that she had her cell phone but did not call police.
About 6:30 a.m.-7 a.m. – Construction workers arrive at David Wilhelm’s home, find his body and call police, who put out an alert for the blue Chevrolet pickup truck.
Smith says Nichols allowed her to leave to visit her daughter. Nichols gives her money, saying he was going to stay at her apartment for a “few days.”
About 9:50 a.m. – Smith dials 911 and within minutes, a SWAT team converges on the building.
About 11:24 a.m. – Nichols is taken into custody after surrendering by waving a white t-shirt or towel.
READ MORE: Hostage says she gained trust of Atlanta killings suspect
March 15, 2005 – Nichols makes his first court appearance after being captured.
May 5, 2005 – A Fulton County grand jury indicts Nichols on 54 counts, including four counts of felony murder. District Attorney Paul Howard says the state will seek the death penalty.
May 17, 2005 – Nichols pleads not guilty to all 54 counts.
September 27, 2005 – Smith’s book, “Unlikely Angel,” is published by Zondervan/Harper Collins. The book recounts the seven hours she spent as Nichols’ hostage.
February 8, 2006 – Superior Court Judge Hilton Fuller rules that Nichols’ trial will take place at the Fulton County Courthouse, the scene of some of the crimes.
November 9, 2006 – Judge Fuller rules that cameras will be allowed in the courtroom, though he leaves open the possibility of some restrictions once the trial begins.
October 15, 2007 – Jury selection begins.
October 17, 2007 – Judge Fuller suspends jury selection indefinitely due to lack of state funding for the defense.
January 30, 2008 – Judge Fuller announces he is stepping down from the case due to the perception by many that he is biased.
July 10, 2008 – The trial resumes and jury selection begins. Nichols pleads not guilty by reason of insanity.
September 17, 2008 – A jury of eight women and four men (six black females, two white females, two black males, one white male and one Asian male) is selected.
September 22, 2008 – Opening statements begin.
November 7, 2008 – After 12 hours of deliberation, a jury finds Nichols guilty on all 54 counts. The jurors reject the defense attorneys’ claim that Nichols suffers from mental illness.
December 13, 2008 – Superior Court Judge James Bodiford sentences Nichols to life in prison without parole, the maximum for all counts, a day after the jury deadlocks on a death penalty sentence.
READ MORE: Jury deadlocked on penalty for Atlanta courthouse shooter
August 18, 2015 – Smith’s book, “Unlikely Angel,” is published by HarperCollins/William Morrow as “Captive: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Hostage Hero.”
September 18, 2015 – The film “Captive” is released by Paramount Pictures and is an adaption of Smith’s book. It stars David Oyelowo as Nichols and Kate Mara as Smith.
