1932 – After an 11-day drive, Ernest Hemingway and Charles Thompson returned to Key West from a hunting trip to Montana and Wyoming. The men awaited delivery of their trophies, the heads of two bull elk and the skins of two black bears.
1934 – Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas was slated to be transferred from the Navy Department to the Department of the Interior and designated a national monument. The transfer awaited approval from President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1965 – The permanent Army Hawk missile battery just north of Key West International Airport was dedicated by Admiral T.A. Christopher and Mayor Kermit Lewin.
1968 – Congressman Dante Fascell dedicated the new Post Office on Summerland Key.
1994 – Buddy Owen’s famous B.O.’s Fish Wagon on Duval Street was moving to a new home near the Key West Bight at the corner of Caroline and William streets.
1999 – Key West Police planned to crack down on nudity during the weekend’s Fantasy Fest celebrations, noting that “even opaque body paint is not a substitute for clothing.” They planned to use a “firm tolerance” technique and ask nude revelers to cover up before arresting them.
2000 – Key West police arrested more than 20 people for nudity during Fantasy Fest celebrations.
2011 – A study found that 29% of children in Monroe County did not have health insurance, 3.5 times the national average. It was thought the high number was indicative of the lack of benefits offered to service industry workers.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: B.O.’s Fish Wagon on Duval Street at the corner of Fleming ca. 1980s. From the Dale McDonald Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.