1826 – H.A.S. Dearborn, Superintendent of Lighthouses, issued a call for proposals to construct a lighthouse and keeper’s quarters at Sand Key. The light tower was to be of stone or hard brick and 65 feet tall. The quarters were to be built of brick and have dimensions of 34 by 20 feet.
1941 – Joe “Sloppy Joe” Russell, bar operator and friend of writer Ernest Hemingway, died in Havana at age 51.
1946 – The Cuban airline company Aerovias Q made a preliminary flight between Key West and Havana in hopes of establishing regular service between the two cities.
1951 – President of Ecuador Galo Plaza and his official party arrived in Key West early in the morning and went to the Little White House for a brief rest before flying on to Washington for a meeting with President Truman.
2004 – Dave Bullock, who had been offered the County Administrator’s position two weeks earlier by Monroe County Commissioners, dropped out of contract talks, citing the low salary being offered and the general unaffordability of Keys housing.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: An Aerovias Q DC-3 plane taking off from Key West International Airport, ca. 1950. Jeff Brodhead Collection, gift of Sharon Wells. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.