1923 – Monroe County commissioners voted 4-1 in favor of a $300,000 bond issue as a first step toward construction of a proposed “Overseas Highway” to run from the mainland to Key West.

1995 – Fire destroyed the Copa nightclub and adjoining buildings in the 600 block of Duval Street. It was the worst fire in Key West in 72 years.

1966 – A glut of frozen stock left over from the previous season’s catch drove down the price of Florida Keys spiny lobster to 37 cents per pound on the opening day of the new season. Many crawfishermen threatened to hold off fishing until prices rose.

1946 – A conceptual plan to use the airfield at Boca Chica for both Navy and civilian purposes was announced by Charles B. Donaldson, Civil Aeronautics Administration Director of Airports. A meeting of interested parties was scheduled for the end of the month to formalize an agreement.

1956 – Key Wester Clint Giese was filming an underwater movie of a skin-diving party at the reef for the United Services Organization to highlight recreational activities for Keys service members. Giese, an early U.S. Navy color-movie photographer, had first come to Key West in 1946 to work on underwater sequences for the Navy submarine film “The Silent Service.”

1981 – U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles dedicated the reconditioned cutters Ute and Lipan in ceremonies at the Coast Guard Station in Key West.

1976 – The General Services Administration announced it was declaring 40.47 waterfront acres of the “Harry Truman Annex” at the former Key West Naval Base as surplus property. The Little White House was exempted and was being withheld for later disposition because of its historic value.

1946 – A plane from Cuba’s Aerovias Q airline made a 30-minute flight from Havana to Key West to establish regular air service between the two cities. Aerovias Q representatives then met with Keys officials to discuss specifics of the new connection.

1906 – Work commenced on the new Triumph Coffee Mill building on a lot behind the Pohalski Cigar Factory. The corrugated iron structure was expected to take three weeks to complete.

1954 – The Navy blimp ZPG-2, the world’s largest at 342 feet long, landed at Boca Chica Naval Air Station after being aloft for more than 200 hours without refueling – a new record. It had traveled from New Jersey and through the Caribbean before landing.

1949 – The new Monroe County Beach (now Higgs Beach) was dedicated. Judge Thomas S. Caro spoke, and Frank Bentley, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, made the formal dedication. The County had issued a $350,000 construction bond for the new beach.

1976 – The long-time home of Alvin and Eva Scott at 814 Windsor Lane in Key West was destroyed by fire. Passers-by rescued the elderly couple from the burning house, with Mrs. Scott requiring particular assistance, as she was completely blind.

1976 – Keys government and military leaders were in shock after the Pentagon announced that it planned to downsize and redesignate the Naval Air Station at Boca Chica. It was possible that of the 3,227 Navy personnel based there, only 650 would remain.

1940 – Capt. Walter F. Jacobs, Commander of the Key West Naval Station, turned the first shovel full of dirt to begin construction of the new Naval Air Station at Trumbo Point. The Ivy H. Smith Company of Jacksonville would build the hangar and other structures.

1956 – A Navy ZPG-2 blimp malfunctioned shortly after take-off at Boca Chica Naval Air Station and crashed, taking out 1,800 feet of power lines and damaging the road. All crewmen were OK, suffering only bumps and bruises.

1974 – The Key West Armory building on White Street, newly restored by the Key West Historic Preservation Board, was re-opened. The building was available for rent for $50 per occasion.

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.

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.

1955 – Monroe County Commissioner Clarence Higgs said that the county’s top priority was to install streetlights along both North and South Roosevelt boulevards in Key West.