1744 – The HMS Looe struck on the Florida Keys reef that now bears its name. Capt. Utting of Looe saw that there was no way to save the ship, so he ordered it burnt and blown up. All the crew was safely carried to Jamaica in a Spanish sloop.
1885 – The U.S. steamer Yantic arrived at Key West to investigate if vessels were leaving from the island to aid Cuban rebels in violation of U.S. neutrality laws. No illegal activity was discovered.
1905 – The name of the County Road in Key West was changed to Flagler Boulevard.
1929 – The Navy, using the submarine S-4, began testing a submarine escape device known as the Momsen Lung. The tests were conducted near Smith Shoals.
1937 – Carl Bervaldi, Chairman of the Monroe County Commission, warned that anyone caught destroying any of the hundreds of coconut trees planted along Roosevelt Boulevard would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
1953 – The Key West City Commission approved a resolution that changed the name of Salt Pond Road, which ran between Truman Avenue and Virginia Street, to José Martí Drive.
1984 – An international trade conference between the United States, Japan, Canada and the European Community was held over the weekend at the Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Aerial view of Jose Marti Drive, along the east end of Bayview Park. Taken on September 1, 1999 by Ty Symroski and Wendy Tucker. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.