1903 – The cornerstone was laid for the First Congregational Church on William Street. The ceremony was conducted by Reverend S.F. Gale, Home Missionary Superintendent for the Congregational Church of Florida.

1959 – The Navy announced it was building a new target area and observation towers at the Marquesas Keys as part of a “high altitude live bombing range.” The target would be placed two and one-eighth miles west of the islands, with the towers erected onshore. No damage to natural resources was expected.

1930 – The Key West Pilot Commission voted to cut pilotage charges in half on all ships calling for fuel, supplies, repairs, or other needs. The move was made to encourage more shipping at the port of Key West.

1925 – A new hotel to be built on a one-block lot at the corner of Washington and Thompson streets in Key West, and called the Ruy Lopez Hotel, was announced. In addition to the hotel, a new 15-block subdivision between it and the Atlantic Ocean was also planned.

1905 – Members of Key West’s Black community were urging a boycott of the Key West electric railway on account of a new “Jim Crow” rule that was scheduled to go into effect on July 1 to separate streetcar passengers by race.

1962 – The submarine USS Sea Poacher (SS 406) recorded its 5,000th dive in Gulf Stream waters off Key West. Sea Poacher was launched in 1944 and had been in Key West since 1951.

1914 – The U.S. Internal Revenue office was at 423 Front Street. The Deputy Collector was C.L. Knowles, and J.L. Johnson was the Stamp Deputy.

1941 – Joe “Sloppy Joe” Russell, famed Key West bar operator, was stricken with a sudden illness while visiting his friend Ernest Hemingway in Cuba and died in a Havana hospital at age 51.

1994 – The City of Key West implemented a new “Cuban Heritage Trail” to bring awareness to the past and present contributions of Cubans to the island’s history and culture. A bilingual map and walking guide featured significant Cuban-oriented sites across the island.

1962 – Square dancers from all 50 states converged on Key West to begin two days of dancing at the island’s convention center. Their “End of U.S. 1 Jamboree” was a follow-up to a just-completed national convention in Miami Beach.

1930 – It was reported that 100 sharks, averaging 7 feet each, were being caught daily near Big Pine Key by boats working for the Hydenoil Company. “Not a particle of the shark is thrown away” was said of Hydenoil’s processing system, which focused on shark leather and liver oil.

1935 – Emory Lowe Pierce, Jr. was appointed superintendent of the Key West Tropical Aquarium. Pierce, a Key West native, had graduated from the University of Florida a week earlier with a degree in marine biology.

1916 – A Tampa newspaper correspondent reported, “The Key West Athletic building is becoming more popular every day. Every afternoon large crowds are seated in its cool porches enjoying the delightful sea breezes for which this city is famous.”

1954 – Key West City Commissioners gave Al Logun, owner of Logun’s Lobster House at the south end of Simonton Street, approval to extend the street 100 feet into the ocean. The extension would alleviate a crowded parking situation and provide visitors with a better view of the water. 

1936 – The Florida East Coast Railway company inquired to the Mallory Steamship Lines about moving 26,500 tons of rails, ties, and equipment, indicating it was preparing to remove the tracks of the Oversea Railroad.

1942 – The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Thetis sank the German submarine U-157 22 miles south of the Marquesas Keys by dropping seven depth charges around it. The kill was confirmed when clothing and other debris from the sub floated to the surface. The U-157 was the only U-Boat sunk in South Florida during World War II.

1959 – The Key West High School baseball team won the Class A State High School championship with a 3-to-2 victory over Milton High.

1962 – The Isaak Walton League passed a resolution at its annual convention requesting the Monroe County Commission make Pigeon Key a visitors’ center and marine nature park with facilities for educating children.

1961 – Three of the Navy’s newest jet-propelled helicopters arrived at NAS Key West. The Sikorsky model HSS-2 helicopters were designed for anti-submarine warfare and could reach a top speed of over 190 m.p.h. Seven more of the cutting-edge craft were expected to arrive at the base over the next week.

1958 – Famed band leader Guy Lombardo announced he was buying the Shamrock Restaurant and Key Colony Beach Club from Phil Sadowski. Lombardo said the Florida Keys should expect to see more of him and his band, the Royal Canadians.