Author Margaret Mitchell published the American classic novel 'Gone with the Wind' on this day in history, June 30, 1936. The 1,000-page novel, set in Georgia during the Civil War and in the Reconstruction era, told the tale of Scarlett O'Hara, a southern belle from a wealthy family who lost nearly everything during the war. The book was a smashing success: It was the bestselling fiction book in the United States in both 1936 and 1937.
McDaniel was not permitted to sit with the rest of the cast of the movie — and the film's producer had to request a special favor that she even be allowed to attend the ceremony, noted the publication.