Today in Keys History – October 5, 2024
- Keys History Center
- Oct 4, 2024
- 1 min read
1933 – A hurricane passed 50 miles to the southeast of Key West. Winds of 65 to 70 mph were recorded in Key West.
1951 – Helicopter Scouting Squadron HS-1 was commissioned in ceremonies held at the Seaplane Base. It was the first HS squadron in the Navy. Commander Joseph T. Watson was the Commanding Officer of the Squadron.
1966 – Hurricane Inez passed over Key West during the night with winds to 90 mph and moderate damage. The storm passed over the Keys from the north and the eye moved southwest moving over the Keys. The lowest barometer reading recorded in Key West was 29.18.
1982 – The winners of the Democratic primary for two county commission seats were Ed Swift and Henry L. Rosenthal Jr.
2004 – Developer Ed Swift was proposing a large-scale affordable housing complex at the site of the abandoned Islander Drive-In on Stock Island. The idea faced headwinds, though, because of environmental concerns and the lack of Rate of Growth Ordinance permits.
2014 – The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District greenlighted construction of a mosquito breeding facility by the Oxitec company at its Marathon facilities. Oxitec planned to genetically modify male mosquitoes so they were sterile and unable to breed, thereby reducing the pest’s population.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: A Navy HS 1 helicopter carrying Florida Governor LeRoy Collins over Fort Jefferson on June 13, 1958. U.S. Navy photo from the Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
