1937 – Construction of the José Martí Monument in Bayview Park began when Raoul A. Pizer y Pollo, representing the government of Cuba, presented the structure’s cornerstone to Key West Mayor Harry C. Galey.

1956 – Burglars struck four Key Largo establishments: Harry’s Restaurant at Tavernier; Henry Bogaard’s Restaurant, also at Tavernier; Stan & Mary’s Restaurant at Rock Harbor, and Chum’s Dairy Freeze. Cash registers, vending machines, and charity containers were all plundered.

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.

1954 – After completing structural surveys, the Florida Road Department greenlighted 2,000 feet of fishing catwalks on bridges.