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.

Saturdays at 12:30 p.m. is our weekend movie matinee - stop in and cool off with a cool film.

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.

1960 – Monroe County commissioners ordered staff to develop regulations for the development of new Keys subdivisions. Commissioner A. Maitland Adams noted, “Subdivision developers are providing only one foot of elevation in many cases; miles of canals are being dug without regard to general development.”

1956 – The Monroe County School Board agreed to name a new elementary school on United Street May Sands Elementary School, the new high school on Flagler Avenue Key West High School, and the junior high school going into the old high school building on White Street Memorial Junior High School.

1957 – A Pan American Airways flag that flew over the airline’s first facility at Key West was presented to the Monroe County Commission by James A. Robbins of Clearwater, who had kept the banner for almost 30 years. The commissioners voted to ask the Pan American company to display it at their new offices.

1962 – A reception was held at Truman Elementary School to honor Miss Miriam Carey, who was retiring after 43 years of teaching. The beloved Carey had taught multiple generations of Key Westers, and she was named Florida’s “Teacher of the Year” in 1960.

A diary from 1851 offers vivid descriptions and sketches from Key West at that time.

2015 – Members of the Douglass High School Class of 1965, the last to graduate from the segregated Key West school, gathered at the Marriott Beachside Resort for a 50th reunion.  “It’s always a pleasure to be among people you’ve known for years and some you haven’t seen in years,” said an attendee.