1859 – In a trial in Federal Court, Alejandro Carcer and Guillot Eloy of the American schooner Enterprise were convicted of the murder of Captain B.A. Morantes. They were found guilty, and Judge William Marvin sentenced them to be hanged.
1906 – Key West’s Gulf Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, was visited by Mrs. Nettie B. Turner, Grand Worthy Matron of Florida. A banquet in her honor was held at the Masonic temple with music provided by the Ninth Artillery orchestra.
1924 – The Monroe County High School football team played against the Marine Bears at the Army Barracks in Key West. It was the first football game in the history of the high school.
1951 – At the Little White House, President Truman issued an executive order creating a new Committee on Government Contract Compliance with the aim of reducing discrimination against employees because of race, color, creed, or national origin.
1954 – The Interstate Communications Station of the Civil Aeronautics Authority at Boca Chica overheard a radio conversation between two Venezuelan pilots saying a flying saucer landed near Caracas and injured many people before taking off again. If true, it would have been Earth’s first confirmed physical contact with an alien craft.
1957 – The Blue Lagoon Motel at the corner of Sigsbee Road and North Roosevelt Boulevard was being built.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Monroe County High School football team 1925/26. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.