1906 – Commander Beehler of Naval Station Key West reported the receipt at the wireless telegraph station of an eight-word message from Colon, Panama, over 1000 miles away.
1908 – A train of the East Coast Railroad crossed the Long Key viaduct and reached Knight’s Key, the farthest south any U.S. train had ever been.
1912 – John J. Frawley, of the Lubin Manufacturing Company, was in Key West to film the arrival of the First Train and the other industries of the city.
1933 – James Roberts, Jr. of Tavernier killed his wife, father, and a young family friend, shocking the small community. Roberts claimed that he had an altercation with his wife in which his father violently intervened. To retaliate, he drew a machete and committed the murders. Monroe County Sheriff Karl Thompson, who was already in the area, found Roberts, heard his confession, and then brought him to Key West by train for arraignment.
1953 – The Key West Aquarium had developed into one of Florida’s major tourist attractions. Bill Kroll, the director, reported that the Aquarium had 145,722 paid admissions in 1952.
1955 – Rear Admiral Harry H. Henderson relieved Rear Admiral C.C. Tower as Commander Naval Base Key West.
1991 – Key West became the final link in cellular phone service to the Florida Keys when BellSouth Mobility installed its equipment in the city.
1992 – Charter boat Captain Hans Baumgarten was murdered by two men who stole his boat and attempted to go to Cuba. The men were arrested when the boat ran out of gas.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Florida East Coast Railway, Key West Extension. The Knight’s Key Dock. Postcard mailed on July 20, 1909. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.