Jacksonville, Florida
Today in 1958 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on this date. The “Space Age” changed Florida forever, drawing thousands of new workers to the state and transforming Cape Canaveral into a Read More …
Loyd Sandgren (1916-2001) was a Jacksonville-based commercial photographer who primarily worked from the 1940s through the 1990s. After his death in 2001, the Jacksonville Public Library acquired a collection of over 14,000 prints and thousands of negatives from his family. These are archived in cold Read More …
Revenge of the Creature was the first of two Universal-International sequels to Creature from the Black Lagoon. It was the only 3D film released in 1955 and the only 3D sequel to a 3D film released during “the golden age of 3D Filming for Revenge Read More …
It is okay to not like the sculpture. Parisians originally hated the Eiffel Tower. New Yorkers hated the Empire State Building, Auguste Rodin’s Monument to Balzac as well as art by Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, and Duchamp were all considered to be worthless at one Read More …
This film was recently made public by FSCJ Library and Learning Commons. WARNING pejorative language and tone throughout the film. “This short piece, produced by long-time Florida Theatre projectionist Bender Cawthon, includes rare footage of Hansontown and LaVilla from around 1950 and seems to have Read More …
A Bumper 8 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral on this date in 1950, the first launch from what would later become the Kennedy Space Center. The rocket was a combination of a German V-2 rocket used during World War II and a WAC Corporal Read More …
The Lobster House Restaurant was built on the South bank of the St. Johns River, originally it was a boat repair shop. In 1944 it was converted into The Lobster House Restaurant. It stood on pilings over the St Johns River, between the Main Street Read More …
The Suffering Bastard was at one time Egypt’s favorite drink. Of course that time was in the late 1940’s early 1950’s when there were large numbers of Allied forces in and around Egypt. It was created by Joe Scialom at the Shepherd’s Hotel in Cairo, Read More …
Jacksonville’s Downtown Investment Authority unanimously voted Wednesday to approve releasing city-owned land for Jaguars owner Shad Khan’s plan for a Four Seasons hotel development on the downtown riverfront. The deal would sign over Kids Kampus to Khan’s development group for its use and leaves questions Read More …
The “Gainesville Sun” was first published on this date in 1876. Originally called the “Gainesville Times,” it was bought and sold a number of times over the course of the next few decades, and was known at different points as “The Gainesville Sun and Bee” Read More …
On the 76th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Frederick Douglass was invited to address the citizens of his hometown, Rochester, New York. Rather than acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments of the young nation, Douglass used the occasion to remind all that Read More …
It was 121 years ago that Jacksonville brothers James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson created and performed the anthem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.” Lift Every Voice and Sing – often called “The Black National Anthem” – was written as a poem by NAACP leader Read More …
If you ask Sheriff Mike Williams, whose department is set to split $16.8 million with JFRD, I’m sure he would say it was clearly a reallocation. This is the same Sheriff Mike Williams who recently submitted a $513 million dollar budget proposal to that Read More …
Scum_FL “Those street punks from the 904.” I first heard SCUM play at Rain Dogs, back in 2019. The other bands, Forsaken Profit$, Some Kind Of Nightmare, The Wastedist, and Charlie Shuck I had experienced before. SCUM was new, new to me at least. That was Read More …
State and local news media have been abuzz with stories about the Orange Crush Festival for the last few weeks. “Controversial Orange Crush Festival” “Heavy police presence planned for Orange Crush Festival” “Businesses close ahead of the Orange Crush Festival” Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office emptied out Read More …
JUNETEENTH is the oldest celebration in the nation to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, officially freeing slaves. However, word of the Proclamation did not reach many parts of the country right away, Read More …
Sally Ride became the first American woman in space aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on this date in 1983. The flight (STS-7) lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 11:33 UTC and flew over 2.5 million miles in six days. During this historic flight, the crew Read More …
Today is the first day of the Orange Crush Festival. The festival is expected to draw 20,000 people with party events around Jacksonville and its beaches. The majority of local businesses and citizens see this as a welcome economical boost to Jacksonville and the Beaches. Read More …