1822 – Lt. Matthew C. Perry of the US Schooner Shark raised the American flag over the island of Key West for the first time, and the Keys were formally taken in the name of the United States. Lt. Perry named the island Thompson’s Island and the harbor Port Rogers, in honor of the Secretary of the Navy and president of the Navy Board. A 13-gun salute was then fired, followed by toasts and song.

1911 – The 1910 U.S. census showed Key West had a population of 19,945. This was a significant increase from the 17,114 residents counted in 1900.

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.

1946 – President Harry Truman arrived at Key West to begin his first of many vacations at the Little White House. He stayed for a week.

1912 – President William H. Taft arrived in Key West via train.

In 1927, a car dealer and a race car driver made the first trip from the mainland to Key West by automobile - partly on train tracks.