The Beatles in front of their bungalow at the Key Wester Motel in 1964.
1822 – Excerpt from the Logbook of the U.S. Schooner Shark LCDR M.C. Perry commanding: Remarks, Monday, September 9th Moderate and pleasant breezes from the Eastward. Lat. 29.13 N. Long. 38.09 W. On the Sick List 8. Expenditure of Water 75 Gallons, Remains on Board 3211 1/4 Gallons. Broached one bbl. Pork. Exp. Provisions, 74 lbs. Pork, 4 Gls. Beans, 4 1/2 Gls. Spirits.
1919 – A major hurricane passed south of Key West on a west-northwest track. Gale/hurricane force winds lasted from 7 a.m. on the 9th until 9:30 p.m. on the 10th with the highest wind of 110 mph. A barometer reading of 27.37 was recorded at the Dry Tortugas. The Category 4 storm caused more than $2 million in damages.
1946 – In a special election, Louis Carbonell defeated William T. Doughtry for the Key West City Commission seat left vacant when Clarence Sweeting resigned.
1955 – Captain Fritz Gleam relieved Rear Admiral H.H. Henderson as Commanding Officer Naval Station Key West. Admiral Henderson was still Commander Naval Base Key West.
1958 – The winners in the Democratic primary were: Bernie C. Papy, state representative; Joe Allen, tax assessor; A. Maitland Adams, county commissioner; William R. Warren Jr., school board and Ruth Alice Campbell, school board. Papy, with his re-election and the defeat of Elbert Stewart of Hendry County, became the dean of the Florida House.
1964 – The Beatles arrived at Key West International Airport at 4 a.m. and were greeted by a screaming mob of fans. The group had been scheduled to appear in Jacksonville, but Hurricane Dora forced them to Key West where they spent two days at the Key Wester Motel on South Roosevelt Boulevard.
1975 – After a seven-month undercover investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration began making arrests in an investigation dubbed “Operation Conch.” Among the 18 people indicted by the statewide grand jury in Tallahassee were the Key West city attorney and fire chief.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, Florida Keys History Center, Monroe County Public Library
Image: The Beatles at the Key Wester Motel in 1964. Photo by Robert Knowles. Florida Memory Project. https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/98660