1899 –The Key West yellow fever report showed 26 new cases and one death.
1918 – A “Liberty Loan” drive started in Key West with hundreds of young women riding throughout the island in flag-draped automobiles. After the parade, the young people gave patriotic speeches in local theaters, encouraging the purchase of liberty bonds.
1918 – Sergeant Ancel Curry, a Key West resident, was awarded the Badge for Distinguished Service by the French government for his bravery in battle there.
1929 – A category three hurricane passed over Key Largo. The lowest barometer reading recorded in the Keys was 27.99 inches. Damage was slight due to the small population of the Upper Keys.
1940 – The Navy announced that a contract had been negotiated to construct a water pipeline from the mainland to Key West.
1955 – Two Navy airmen on watch escaped injury when a small but violent tornado struck Boca Chica Naval Air Station and tore two blimps from their moorings and blew them a half a mile into the mangroves with the men inside. Both airships were badly damaged.
1985 – After seven days of searching, Deborah Benedict of Key West found a certificate for a gold bar and emerald that had been hidden by treasure hunter Mel Fisher under the Garrison Bight Bridge. Hundreds of people, locals and tourists, had been following clues planted by Fisher’s team, hoping that they would find the key to the riches.
2008 – Florida Atlantic University issued a report recommending that Monroe County should consider sea level rise a greater factor than hurricanes in disaster planning.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: 1918 parade. Collection of Rosalie and Bascom Grooms, Sr. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.