1864 – A military order arrived for Key West and the Dry Tortugas: All prisoners held for desertion were dismissed from public service. They were to instead be held as citizen prisoners of war until their sentences expired, be dishonorably discharged, and have all their pay forfeited.
1924 – The Key West Exchange Club began fundraising for an aquarium to be at the foot of Front Street, between Curry’s and Sweeney’s wharves. It was planned to be of concrete with sand floors and a shed covering. The aquarium, hoped to be the best in the state, was expected to cost $700.
1934 – Key West was experiencing an epidemic of bicycle thefts, with many reports over the previous week of bikes being taken from yards, stands, and sidewalks.
1950 – The first of eight jet trainers landed at the Naval Air Station, Key West. The planes, assigned to FAWTULANT, were the first jets to be based at Key West.
1960 – A team from the Gulfport, Mississippi “Marinearium” trailered a 7,000-gallon tank to Key West and chartered Capt. Tony Tarracino’s Greyhound II to catch tropical fish in Keys waters for their displays.
1964 – Olatha McIntosh was the valedictorian and Wallace Goodlow was the salutatorian for the graduating senior class of Key West’s Douglass High School.
1985 – Bird watchers from across the country made their way to Lower Matecumbe Key to get a glimpse of a male shiny cowbird that had settled in the yard of Ann Carians. It was the first known instance of the species being in North America.
1989 – The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority hired a group of high school students to paint Keys fire hydrants over the summer and change the color from lime green to red.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Captain Tony Tarracino’s charter boat Greyhound II underway in Garrison Bight C 1960. Jeff Brodhead Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.