June 1

Two paperboys leaving the Key West Citizen office on Ann Street

1898 – The hospital ship Solace sailed for New York with 86 sick and wounded sailors and marines from the Army Hospital at the Convent.

1912 – Captain Charles Thompson on the fishing schooner Somoa, while fishing near the Seven Mile Bridge, harpooned a whale shark and after a struggle of eight hours forced the shark on a sandbar and reported that it took five days for the shark to die. Captain Thompson towed his catch to Miami where he was able to get it on shore. It measured 38 feet long and weighed 26,594 pounds. He had the shark mounted and exhibited it around the country until it was accidentally destroyed in a fire in 1922.

1930 – The Granday pineapple canning plant owned by Thompson Enterprises opened with 75 employees. Using imported Cuban pineapples, the plant was able to produce 2,500 cans of fruit a day.

1957 – The Key West Citizen’s “newsboys,” or newspaper delivery carriers, were competing for a series of prizes. The awards would be determined by carriers’ prompt payment of bills, their acquisition of new customers, and existing customer evaluations.

1983 – Tennessee Williams’ younger brother Dakin announced he would file an objection in Monroe County Court to his brother’s will and attempt to gain control of the estate.

2010 – As oil continued to flow from the damaged Deepwater Horizon well on the first day of hurricane season, the National Weather Service’s Key West forecasting office was studying ways in which storms might drive the oil toward the Florida Keys.

Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.

Image: Two paperboys leaving the Key West Citizen office on Ann Street. Photo by Don Pinder. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.