1869 – Two ironclad monitor-class ships of the Peruvian Navy, along with three support vessels, arrived at Key West. The ships had been purchased from the U.S. government and had recently started what would be a 15-month journey to their new home port.
1874 – After many days of rumors that it had been lost, the ironclad monitor USS Dictator arrived at Key West, safely and in good condition. The Navy Department was much relieved.
1918 – On the second reading, the Key West City Council passed an ordinance prohibiting the sale of spiritous liquors to men wearing uniforms of the United States.
1929 – Famous song writer and composer Irving Berlin arrived on the yacht Windswept from Long Key. After a short stay in the city, he returned to Long Key.
1936 – E.A Pynchon, administrator of the Works Progress Administration for Florida, visited Key West to confer with local officials and to assess the sewerage work being done by WPA crews.
1970 – Two U.S. Navy destroyers, the USS Kretchmer and the USS Foster, arrived from Pearl Harbor to join Key West’s Destroyer Division 601.
1994 – Key Wester Peter Anderson returned to the island after having used his tongue-in-cheek Conch Republic passport to gain entry to seven foreign nations throughout the Caribbean. 2019 – Key West city officials issued five-day closures of two Oro Gold cosmetic shops for multiple code violations. Numerous complaints had been received about the stores overcharging customers credit cards and not offering refunds.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The USS Kretchmer DER 329 off the pier at Trumbo Point C 1970. U.S. Navy photo. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.