1986 – Monroe County Commissioners wanted to get rid of the Boot Key Bridge, which cost taxpayers thousands of dollars a year to maintain and operate, just so vehicles could access a radio station and trap factory on the otherwise empty island. The bridge tender testified that the bridge had to be opened for boat traffic 1429 times over the previous two months.

A time capsule buried by Key West students in 1976 was unearthed 50 years later, following directions in a letter held at the Florida Keys History Center.

1943 – The USO Club at 303 Duval Street in Key West was dedicated. The Club, located in the old Caroline Lowe House, was operated by the Women’s Division of the National Catholic Community.

1956 – A fisheries report for September 1955 was released that showed Monroe County landed the largest shrimp catch in Florida, with 844,320 pounds brought into Keys ports during the month.

1982 – Suwa, a male dolphin owned by Little Torch Key resident Betty Brothers and kept on her property, attacked a man after he entered the private lagoon to swim with the creature. Suwa rammed the man six times, causing severe liver lacerations and the rupture of a “major” vein in his stomach.

1926 – Police Chief Cleveland Niles began a policy of ringing the fire bell at nine o’clock in the evening to remind Key West juveniles 16 years and younger that there was a curfew and it was time for them to go home.

1946 – Records of the Key West Housing Authority showed that between August 17, 1942, and Sept. 30, 1945, one million sandwiches and three-quarters of a million meals were prepared by the KWHA in the Gato Cafeteria on Simonton Street. A total of 6,000 war workers were housed in the dormitory there during the period.

1986 – Construction began on a project to widen U.S. 1 in Marathon from two lanes to four lanes from 37th to 107th Streets. Work was expected to be completed in late 1987.

1956 – Congressman Dante Fascell advised that the deed from the Navy to Monroe County for the 17.5-acre Martello tract at the airport had cleared the Justice Department and would be filed at the county courthouse at any time. The property transfer would allow construction of a new airport terminal to move forward.

1926 – A delegation appointed by the Monroe County Commission traveled to the Matecumbe Keys to help find the best route through those islands for a new highway. Some Matecumbe residents feared land values would plummet if the planned road traversed their properties, and the delegates hoped to ease their minds.

1955 – Albert Bosa revived the Key West Comparsa dancers. They held rehearsals at the Cuban Club.

2016 – A federal appeals court ruled against a development group that claimed ownership of Wisteria Island in Key West Harbor, saying the statute of limitations on any title dispute had expired in 1963. The decision meant the Bureau of Land Management’s claim to the island remained in place.

1986 – The schooner Wolf was proclaimed the flagship of the Conch Republic by Monroe County Mayor Wilhelmina Harvey. “As flagship of the Conch Republic fleet, we’ve placed the ship at the service of the republic,” said Captain Finbar Gittelman, who proudly used only traditional methods to sail Wolf.

1926 – The Brethren meeting at the Gospel Chapel at 720 Southard Street in Key West began a three-day conference that would run until the close of Sunday evening services.

1822 – Lt. Matthew C. Perry of the US Schooner Shark raised the American flag over the island of Key West for the first time, and the Keys were formally taken in the name of the United States. Lt. Perry named the island Thompson’s Island and the harbor Port Rogers, in honor of the Secretary of the Navy and president of the Navy Board. A 13-gun salute was then fired, followed by toasts and song.

1932 – Lena Johnson, the first woman to hold elected office in Key West when she served on the City Commission from 1927-28, died on the island.

We're celebrating adaptations in April with a special collection on Kanopy, the streaming app, and a curated selection of our books that have been made into films and television series.

1956 – The auto ferry TMT Cuba began service between Key West and Havana, becoming the second ferry service at the time to provide passage between the two cities. Local and Cuban government and military officials were on hand for the “bon voyage” party held at the ferry’s dock at the end of Duval Street.

1995 – The City of Key West and the Historic Florida Keys Foundation were evaluating plans to replace the chain link fence surrounding the Key West Cemetery with a historic-looking fence resembling wrought-iron. One estimate priced the project at $238,000.

1956 – Anna Magnani was presented with the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in “The Rose Tattoo,” a film adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ play shot in Key West in 1954.