1916 – Wealthy U.S. industrialist Andrew Carnegie, accompanied by his wife and friends, was on the houseboat Everglades out of Marathon and captained by A.C. Wallace. The group was traveling though the Middle and Lower Keys on a fishing cruise.
1933 – Eight Cuban refugees landed at Key West after crossing the Florida Straits in a small boat. They claimed to be escaping persecution by Cuban President Machado and his cohorts. The group, composed of students and professionals, was released on their own recognizance pending a later hearing.
1955 – Key West police located a car stolen from West Hempstead, NY, after it had been parked at the local airport 114 days earlier. Authorities were not pleased with the lot attendant’s lack of attentiveness.
1961 – Movie star and night club entertainer Stepin Fetchit, born Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry in Key West in 1893, appeared at Raul’s Club on South Roosevelt Boulevard.
1975 – After many weeks of investigation, Key West Police arrested the owner of Uncle Sam’s Pawn Shop and Howie’s Lounge for failure to keep records on purchases and sales of second-hand goods. He had been arrested only months earlier for dealing in stolen property.
1998 – A major winter storm crossed the Keys causing widespread damage and leaving one man dead. Tornados were reported in the Middle and Upper Keys. By midnight the Coast Guard had had more than 300 calls.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Howie's Lounge, 109 Duval St., 1974; built ca. 1906. Sqr 7 Pt Lot 3. Photo by the Monroe County Property Appraiser's office. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.