1869 – The inaugural meeting of the Cuban Patriotic Association was held at Key West, and the 125 members drafted a constitution and by-laws and elected directors. The object of the association was to raise funds for Cuba’s liberation from Spain.
1900 – W.A. Perpall returned to Key West from a census-counting cruise. Perpall, accompanied by his two sons, had traveled the length of the Florida Keys by boat, and the trio then sailed to Lee and Dade counties to tally the residents.
1910 – William Scott tried to kill Matthew Mounts for flirting with his wife. Scott confronted Mounts on Grave Yard Alley in Key West and fired five shots at him, but none of the bullets struck.
1911 – A fire broke out in the coal bin at Knight’s Key. Dock workers and others formed a brigade and extinguished the blaze. Spontaneous combustion was thought to have been the cause.
1942 – The merchant vessel Onondaga was sunk off the north coast of Cuba by the German submarine U-129.
1946 – A plane of the Cuban International Airways arrived with a cargo of plantains, avocados and other goods for local merchants. The company planned bi-weekly flights to deliver produce for the local market.
1950 – The USO/YMCA at the corner of Whitehead and Southard streets provided services and entertainment to the military men station in Key West.
1951 – Major Earl Dillion retired as Key West High School bandmaster. He had directed bands for almost 50 years in the Army and school from California to Key West. He first came to Key West in 1904 with the 9th Coast Artillery and married Alice Marshall.
1952 – Three people on Harris Avenue reported seeing a “flying saucer” described as a reddish-yellow ball to the east of Key West.
1990 – The United States House of Representatives approved legislation to create the Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The USO/YMCA Building that stood at 530 Whitehead Street. Jeff Brodhead Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.