1928 – The first transoceanic airplanes in passenger service flew from Key West’s Meacham Field to Havana. The first Pan-American-operated plane carried mail and three passengers: Thomas Bryson, editor of the Citizen; Louis Bragassa, deputy collector of customs; and Albert Caviness, assistant emigration inspector. Passengers on a second plane were: Jorge Ponce, Cuban consul to Key West; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Peyson of New York; and Commander John Loudon, aide to President Cool

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.

1920 – The Consolidated Cigar Company’s factory at the corner of Catherine and Grinnell streets in Key West was reopened after undergoing repairs for damage suffered during the 1919 hurricane.

1964 – The Florida cabinet authorized the construction of missile sites by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Boca Chica and Fleming keys. The permanent sites would be used as part of the line of defense against Cuba..

1976 – Monroe County commissioners voted to demolish the long-abandoned and “haunted” Clark mansion in Marathon. The once-palatial waterfront home had been vacant since the owner was found floating dead in an adjacent lagoon over 20 years earlier. In more recent times the structure had been occupied by transient squatters.

1935 – Despite the air temperature being a chilly 52 degrees, visitors from the north enjoyed swimming in the waters off Key West’s Rest Beach.

1974 – Keys shrimpers were experiencing a significant economic downturn as shrimp prices had dropped 39 percent over the previous year, while the cost of fuel was up 50 percent.

1960 – The Key West City Christmas tree was planted atop a heavy concrete column in the middle of the intersection of Duval and Fleming streets. Many residents were concerned that it was only a matter of time before someone crashed into it.

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.

1938 – Key West’s charter boat fishing fleet moved to new quarters at the concrete dock along Trumbo Road. Six boats were at their new berths.

1985 – After months of delay and debate, Key West city commissioners approved development of “The Village at Key West” on 112 acres adjacent to the Stock Island landfill. The project was to include a 339-room hotel and convention center, 192 condominiums, a marina and a beach, a restaurant, and 10 retail shops.

1955 – New Jersey industrialist Stanly Switlik presented the Monroe County School Board with 30 acres of land along Marathon Beach Road for the site of a new Marathon High School. Much of the ground was wetlands that would require filling before construction of the school could begin.

1955 – Admiral the Earl Mountbatten of Burma, K.G., the First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff for Great Britain, accompanied by U.S. Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Arleigh Burke, arrived in Key West for a demonstration cruise aboard the Navy’s cutting-edge submarine USS Albacore. 

1901 – City of Key West officials were looking for a new cemetery site, as the existing cemetery was crowded and there was not much room for new burials. It was thought any new location should be some distance from town for sanitary reasons.

1975 – City of Key West officials met with members of the Old Island Restoration Commission, and all agreed to an ordinance that would give the OIRC jurisdiction over the construction, repair, or alteration of structures in the city’s historic district.

1975 – After refusing to pay a new $11 per cubic yard disposal fee, the City of Key Colony Beach was barred from using the Monroe County dump at Boot Key. Key Colony had a policy of not charging for trash pickup, and the mayor vowed not to break it.

1985 – The City of Key West listed privately owned areas of the Key West salt ponds as desirable for purchase by the State of Florida under its Conservation and Recreation Lands (CARL) program. Many residents considered the ponds to be the last remaining natural expanse on the island.

1935 – The landing barge for the Miami-Key West Airways seaplanes was moved from the railroad terminus to the yacht basin (the former Naval Station submarine basin), which was better located and better protected. It was hoped the change would foster daily round-trip flights between the two cities.

1925 – Four stowaways were found hidden in the oil tank of the P.& O. railroad car ferry Jos. R. Parrott when it landed at Key West from Havana. The men, who claimed to have been born in Portugal, were expected to be sent back to Cuba.