1908 – Key West resident Antonio Navaretta, a native of Africa and “undoubtedly the oldest resident on the island,” died at his Watson Street home at the purported age of 108.
1915 – The Secretary of the Navy formally notified Senator N.P. Bryan of Florida that Key West had been selected as a base for submarine operations. Senator Bryan immediately forwarded the good news to Key West via telegram, where it was “accepted with gratification by local citizens.”
1919 – A major hurricane passed south of Key West on a west-northwesterly track, where gale or hurricane force winds lasted from 7 a.m. on the 9th until 9:30 p.m. on the 10th. Winds of 150 mph and a barometer reading of 27.37 were recorded at the Dry Tortugas. The category 4 storm caused more than $2 million in damages in the Keys.
1952 – Key West Commissioners authorized special overtime pay for members of the Police Department to combat a rash of nighttime prowler and peeping tom incidents in downtown neighborhoods.
1964 – At 3:30 a.m., the Beatles landed at Key West International Airport, greeted by a mob of screaming fans. The group had been scheduled to perform in Jacksonville, but a hurricane diverted them to Key West instead. The wildly popular musicians spent two days at the Key Wester Motel on South Roosevelt Boulevard.
1975 – After a seven-month undercover investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration began making arrests in an investigation dubbed “Operation Conch.” Among the 18 people indicted by the statewide grand jury in Tallahassee were the Key West city attorney and fire chief.
1990 – Lower Florida Keys reefs were covered by blankets of algae up to one meter thick. Brian LaPointe of the Florida Keys Land & Sea Trust said the smothering bloom likely resulted from high nutrient levels from sewage and other land-based runoff, combined with a decline of algae-eating fish and sea urchins.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Monroe County Court House damaged by the 1919 Hurricane. Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.