1958 – With a fare of 90 cents per passenger, the first Conch Tour Train rolled onto the streets of Key West under the ownership of Bill and Olive Kroll.

1928 – President Calvin and First Lady Grace Coolidge arrived in Key West on the cruiser Memphis from Havana. Mayor Leslie Curry gave them a tour of the Naval Station, Army Barracks, and Meacham Airport, followed by a ride along the Boulevard. Crowds lined the streets, and hundreds of schoolchildren assembled at Bayview Park to cheer the distinguished visitors.

1925 – A group of Key Westers traveled by boat to Munson Island to give a surprise party for Mr. and Mrs. Newton Munson. The day was spent fishing and in other activities. Music was furnished by the Variety Seven Orchestra.

1910 – All the concrete railroad piers had been completed from Knight’s Key to Pigeon Key, and half from there to Moser Channel. To aid the progress, the camp at West Summerland Key was to be closed and the workforce moved to Pigeon Key.

1998  – Islamorada resident and fly-fishing pioneer Jimmie Albright died at the age of 82. He pioneered the use of fly tackle for catching bonefish and tarpon.

1958 – An exhibition of drawings and paintings by Key West author and artist Morgan Dennis opened at the East Martello gallery of the Key West Art & Historical Society. Dennis and his wife Margaret were on hand for the opening.

1992 – After a six-year renovation, Key West’s San Carlos Institute was reopened. Institute President Rafael Peñalver, who spearheaded the overhaul, introduced U.S. Senator Bob Graham as keynote speaker.

1956 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower, accompanied by his wife and mother-in-law, enjoyed a two-hour drive up the Keys along U.S.1. The group departed from Key West’s Little White House for the journey.

1935 – A set of four murals painted by Works Progress Administration artist Richard Jansen were displayed for the first time at the Key West Country Club New Year’s Eve ball. The murals, considered to be his best Key West works, depicted aspects of semi-tropical life.

1925 – A train with six water cars derailed overnight at Spanish Harbor near Big Pine Key. A wrecking train was dispatched immediately to clear the tracks, and traffic was restored by dawn.

1955 – Florida Greyhound buses resumed service after a drivers’ strike. Airlines, and even cab drivers, had been able to get some travelers from Key West to Miami, but there was particular concern in the Keys that Navy personnel would not have been able to travel for the holidays.

1935 – The Cortez Cigar Co. building on Ann Street in Key West was destroyed by fire. The first alarm sounded at 10 a.m. and all the city’s firefighters arrived to battle the blaze, but the flames spread too quickly to be contained. Chief Harry Baker thought the fire was set intentionally.

2000 – After a two-year overhaul, the WWII-era patrol torpedo boat PT-728 was launched at Stock Island. The historic vessel would be berthed in Key West Bight and available for passenger tours.

1910 – Following the Secretary of the Navy’s recommendation that more important posts had detachments of Marines, 19 privates and a corporal of the U.S. Marine Corps were transferred to Key West.

1926 – Eduardo H. Gato, Key West’s leading cigar manufacturer, died in Havana. He was born in Cuba in 1847 and came to Key West in 1874. His factory employed more than 500 workers. His last factory on Simonton Street still stands and is now used for Monroe County government offices.

1957 – Construction started on the Blue Lagoon Motel at the corner of Sigsbee Road and North Roosevelt Boulevard in Key West.

1994 – Key Wester Frank Baing (aka the “Conch Salad Man”) died at the age of 93. Baing ran a Petronia Street a produce market, and in the 1950’s he began to sell food at Mallory Square. Baing was an icon of the early Key West sunset celebration.

1995 – Bicycling magazine named Key West the most dangerous city in the U.S. for bicyclists. Florida DOT Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator Dan Burden noted, “It’s 19 times more dangerous to ride in Key West than anywhere else in the nation.”

1948 – Fausto Castillo began construction of a new Fausto’s grocery store at the corner of Fleming and Bahama streets in Key West.

1960 – The East Martello Tower Museum opened a new exhibit called “The Playhouse,” which featured toys housed in the first playhouse built in Key West.