1909 – In hope of finding a source of fresh water, S.O. Johnson contracted to have a well dug to 1,000 feet. No fresh water was found.
1952 – The United States Wildlife Service’s boat Oregon was testing to see if the local waters could support a commercial tuna fishing industry. During a test near the Dry Tortugas, the boat caught about six and a half tons of “little Tuna” in a short time fishing.
1954 — Sally Rand, the famous fan dancer, was in trouble with the Bureau of Internal Revenue which ordered her two pieces of property in Key West sold to pay her back taxes.
1953 – Captain Manuel “Pete” Fernandez returned to a hero’s welcome at his hometown of Key West. He was the second-ranking jet ace in the Korean War, having shot down 14 MIGs.
1981 – Ground breaking was held for Wendy’s Hamburgers in Searstown Plaza.
1989 – The Key West Sponge Man, an iconic statue created in the 1920s, was being restored. The seven-foot-tall, sponge-covered figure had been damaged by a dog at its home in the Key West Wholesalers office.
2004 – Key Westers Peter Goldsmith and Michelle Geslin were indicted by a federal grand jury and arrested on charges of violating U.S. trade embargo law. The pair had organized “Conch Republic Cup” boat races and transported humanitarian aid from Key West to Cuba without authorization from 1997-2003.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Thompson Curio shop in 1938. The sponge man and an ocean sunfish. Photo by Rothstein from the Library of Congress. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.