1876 – A hurricane of minor intensity hit Key West with winds of 75 mph and slight damage to roofs and trees.
1901 – Key West city officials were looking for a new cemetery site, as the existing cemetery was crowded and did not have much room left. It was thought any new site should be removed some distance from town for sanitary reasons.
1905 – The Key West City Marshal instructed police to inform slot machine operators, primarily saloon and coffeehouse owners, that the gambling devices must be removed from their businesses at once or they would be confiscated and destroyed.
1927 – To fulfill its contract with the U.S. Post Office, Pan American Airlines hired pilot Cy Caldwell to fly a single-engine seaplane from Key West to Havana. He left Key West at 8:04 a.m. carrying seven sacks of mail, containing about 30,000 letters. He landed in Havana 62 minutes later and saved the airline, which could not begin regular service with its own planes until October 28.
1942 – The new Naval Hospital on South Roosevelt Boulevard in Key West was commissioned, and Captain Jessie W. Allen (MC) USN assumed duties as the first Commanding Officer.
1979 – The Harry S. Truman Animal Import Center on Fleming Key, the first of its kind on U.S. soil, was dedicated. Florida Governor Bob Graham was the featured speaker.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Harry S. Truman Animal Import Center, Fleming Key, ca. 1980. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.