The Charlotte Hornets were not formed in 1988 as was previously thought to be true. And they were not an NBA basketball team. No, the real Hornets were a revolutionary creation some 200 years in the making that came to exist in the, well, Revolutionary War.

For a closer look, let's go back to 1780.

"These are the times that try men's souls," wrote Thomas Payne in December of 1776. Indeed, the United States Colonies were in the midst of revolution from the strongholds of Great Britian, and by the time 1780 rolled around, the young Americans by all accounts were losing the war. In part, British General Charles Cornwallis was in the middle of wiping out much of the Southern territory on his way to a sure Redcoats takeover.

Then came the Battle of Charlotte.

In September of 1780, Cornwallis marched into Charlotte with his army, fully intending to take over the town and further his destruction on the Colonials. The militiamen of Carolina had other plans, however. Over the course of 16 days, the largely untrained but fiercely determined US soldiers harassed and beleaguered the British forces to the point that the Redcoats left battered and beaten without attaining their goal.

Upon exiting, Cornwallis was quick to remark that Charlotte was "n agreeable village but in a damned rebellious country and that the people were more hostile to England than any in America." The British General aptly named the small Southern city "The Hornets' Nest" and fled. While not the deciding victory, Charlotte had severely wounded the British Army's psyche, and they never fully recovered. Just over a year later, Great Britain surrendered to the United States of America, and a costless nation was born.

Fast-forward 200 years to the present time, when the sweet folks in the South still have a way of holding on to tradition. In 1988 when the NBA announced that Charlotte was going to have an expansion franchise, naming the team was a no-brainer. They would be called the Charlotte Hornets as a way to connect their storied past with a hopeful future.

Fans showed up in droves those first few seasons (Charlotte would eventually lead the league in attendance for ten straight years) despite that fact that their teams were just not that good. Hornets fans were cheering for veterans like Kelly Tripucka and rookies such as Rex Chapman. Lean years indeed, but the fans still showed up. The Hornets boasted the best of the small (5'3" Muggsy Bouges) and the old (Tripucka led the team in scoring during it's inaugural season).

Soon enough, however, the Hornets were competitive with the likes of "Grandmama" (Larry Johnson) and "Zo" (Alonzo Mourning) who were drafted in consecutive years.

​

In 1992-93, its fifth season in existence, Charlotte made the NBA Playoffs behind Johnson, Mourning, and the sharp-shooting Chapman. The Hornets knocked off the storied Boston Celtics in the first round that season in dramatic fashion on a Mourning buzzer-beater, a shot that is still remembered in Charlotte as though in happened yesterday. The Hornets made the playoffs the next season as well, losing in the first round, but failed to reach the postseason again until 1996. The Hornets were winning enough games to stay competitive and relevant, and their fans still packed “The Hive.”

Beginning in the late 90s, however, the Hornets' wheels began to fall off. First, in the 1996 NBA Draft, Charlotte selected a young high-schooler by the name of Kobe Bryant but then traded his rights to the Los Angeles Lakers for an aging Vlade Divac. This came after the franchise traded away Johnson and Mourning, its two mainstays and top fan favorites. Later, original owner George Shinn found himself in serious legal and personal trouble and, just like Cornwallis, left town with his tail between his legs. In 2002, the team relocated to New Orleans taking the Hornets mascot with it.

Once dubbed a basketball-crazed city, local fans and citizens were none too happy about their Hornets leaving town, and as it turned out, it was more about the name than anything else. Proof? In 2004, just two years after its beloved Hornets skipped town, Charlotte was awarded an expansion franchise. In its first year, the "Bobcats" had the second lowest attendance average in the NBA. The team with the lowest number of fans? The New Orleans Hornets.

To be sure there are actual hornets in New Orleans (and pelicans too) just as there are bobcat sightings in Charlotte. But much like jazz in Utah or lakes in Southern California, the new name did not fit the Charlotte culture. And both the fans and the franchise emitted seeming disdain for the Bobcats mascot. Fans now stay home in droves, and the team itself has made the postseason only twice in its New Orleans home, including this year when the Bobcats were swept by the Miami Heat in the first round.

Today, however, the South has risen again! At least in the form of a nickname being restored to its proper home. Eschewing the Bobcats logo once and for all, the Charlotte NBA franchise will once again bear the name of the Hornets. And Charlotte fans could not be any happier.

Will the re-naming make any difference with the on court product? Things are looking up in the Queen City, er, Buzz City. After all, the Hornets will suit up the likes of Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson next season for a team that won a franchise record 44 games this year.

But all of that remains a secondary concern to the greater Charlotte community. What the people around the Queen City want others to say can be summed up with the words of Lord Cornwallis himself.

"n agreeable village but in a damned rebellious country and that the people were more hostile to [visiting teams] than any in America."

Welcome back to the Hornets' Nest, everyone.