1851 – Professor and naturalist Louis Agassiz of Harvard University delivered a talk at Key West summarizing observations from his recent fieldwork on the Florida Reef. Agassiz suggested, “There are different races of coral, some of which lay the foundation of the reef in deep water, build up to a certain height, and die. These are succeeded by another race, who build up another step, who are followed by other races, until the edifice reaches to near the surface of the water…” One attendee observed, “If this theory be true, we may conclude the wrecking business will last as long as the coral exists.”
1914 – Maitland Adams started to work for Thompson Enterprises where he would work for over 50 years. In 1949, he would be instrumental in starting the shrimp industry in the Keys.
1923 – A stock company with $1 million in capital was being organized in Key West to facilitate oil drilling operations in the Florida Keys.
1925 – John Ringling, of circus fame, spent two days in Key West while enroute to Cuba.
1939 – The lighthouse tender Ivy left for Sombrero Reef Light with a crew of electricians and others to increase the intensity of the light and electrify the crew quarters. When done, the light was expected to double its intensity, at 44,000 candlepower.
1950 – The Brunswick Deep Freeze Company announced it had hired 75 Key West women to aid in the processing of shrimp. Pay was between 75 cents and $1.25 an hour.
1953 – Former President Herbert Hoover, who had been in a hospital in Miami with influenza, was spending a 10-day fishing vacation at the Key Largo Anglers Club.
1963 – The Coast Guard was searching south of Key West for the missing freighter Marine Sulphur Queen. The ship vanished on Feb. 2 with all hands and the only trace found was some debris near Key West.
1991 – Key West native Master Sergeant Eloy A. Rodriguez, a medic with the Army Special Forces, was killed in a helicopter crash in Saudi Arabia. He was the only local killed in Desert Storm.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The Lighthouse Service Buoy Tender Ivy alongside a pier with buoys. Another pier with buoys is on the right of the photo. Circa 1935. From the Dale McDonald Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.