1994 – More than 17,000 Cuban refugees had crossed the Florida Straits during the month. It was the largest Cuban exodus since the 1980 Mariel boatlift.

1951 – Developer Joe Sirugo agreed to sell 3,500 cubic yards of marl to the City of Key West. It would help satisfy the city’s need of 10,000 yards of marl to fill United Street between Leon and George streets and to fill George Street along the site of the new city housing project.

1945 – Blas Zarate of the White Inn on Division Street (now Truman Avenue) in Key West was arrested for selling beer on a Sunday, and customer Harvey Stirrup was charged with consuming beer on Sunday. The men were given bonds of $250 and $25, respectively.

1937 – The Public Works Administration announced that it had 600 men working on the new Overseas Highway, and the road would be open to the public by the start of the new year.

1914 – Morris Garfunkel, who had long owned the Gulf City Furniture Company in Key West, announced he would soon be leaving the island to engage in business in Detroit, Michigan.

1937 – A boat owned by Key West’s Thompson Enterprises arrived with pineapples from the company’s plantation in Cuba. Employees of the Granday Pineapple Cannery were notified to report to work at 7 a.m. the following morning.

1905 – An appropriation of nearly $500,000 was authorized for improvements at the Key West Naval Station, including new buildings, an extension of the coal sheds, and the construction of a quay wall from the sheds to Fort Taylor.

1962 – The submarine USS Sea Poacher (SS 406) recorded its 5,000th dive in Gulf Stream waters off Key West. Sea Poacher was launched in 1944 and had been in Key West since 1951.

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.

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.

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.

1975 – The cruise ship Pacific Princess made its third visit to Key West in a month. Greeters presented hibiscus flowers to lady passengers as they disembarked, and tea towels from Key West Hand Print Fabrics were given to all passengers.

1967 – The Navy announced that Truman Beach adjacent to Fort Taylor was permanently closed, with facilities moved to the Beach Patio area. The beach was closed because recent harbor dredging had carried away most of the sand, making the area dangerous.

1911 – Norberg Thomson began construction of a concrete building that would house his cigar box factory on Caroline Street in Key West. The wooden boxes would be used by the local cigar manufactories.

1976 – The Singleton Corporation announced they had bought Sea Farms, Inc. and the Thompson & O’Neal Shrimp Company. The purchase included most of the waterfront of Key West Bight.

2000 – The Florida Department of Community Affairs awarded Key West an additional 54 units of affordable housing under the Rate of Growth Ordinance (ROGO) because the city had preserved the Berg property, an unaltered beachfront area and home to many species of indigenous Keys plants and animals.

1982 – The last span of the new Seven Mile Bridge was put into place.

1956 – Monroe County Commissioner Harry Harris announced that plans for U.S. 1 to bypass Boca Chica Naval Air Station were sent to the Florida Road Department for final approval. At the time, the highway cut through the air station, which was creating problems for both the Navy and civilians. The new bypass would skirt around the base on the Gulf side.

1963 – Sam Golan, owner of the Key Ambassador Hotel and the Holiday Inn, was named president of Key West Films, Inc. The company’s mission was to create Keys-based films, and it had recently backed the production of “Man In the Water,” (aka “Escape From Hell Island”) starring Mark Stevens.

1975 - The new East and West Wings of the Monroe County Public Library at 700 Fleming Street in Key West were dedicated.