Jacksonville, Florida
The USS “Florida” (BB-30), a dreadnought battleship, was commissioned into the United States Navy on this date in 1911. She was armed with a main battery of ten 12-inch guns, sixteen 5-inch guns, and two torpedo tubes. The USS Florida served during World War I Read More …
National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Begun in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson, the observation was expanded Read More …
The late great, Anthony Bourdain called the Negroni his “perfect drink,” saying “it will ‘hit you like a freight train, after four or five” In Italy, a Negroni is what’s known as an aperitivo; something to open your palette, start your evening and get you Read More …
Willow Branch Library sits in a corner of Willow Branch Park, a popular location for local musicians during the late 1960s to develop and expand their audience. Named after the “Human Be-In,” San Francisco’s 1967 counterculture celebration, Jacksonville’s “be-ins” spawned several notable acts, including the Read More …
The infamous “Labor Day” hurricane made landfall near Craig Key in the Florida Keys on this date in 1935. It was the third most intense Atlantic hurricane on record, making landfall as a Category 5 storm with winds exceeding 156 mph. A ten-car evacuation train Read More …
Today in 1965 The USPS issued a 5-cent stamp commemorating the 400th anniversary of the founding of the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in North America; St. Augustine. The stamp was made available at the St. Augustine post office. A stamp identical in design, except Read More …
On this date in 1966 the Pioneer 7 satellite lifted off from Launch Complex 17A at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch vehicle was a Thor-Delta E rocket. Pioneer 7 was the second in a series of solar orbiters designed to measure Read More …
On this day in 1968, Snoopy walked into a surprise birthday party, so Peanuts officials give the beagle his birthday cake and candles to blow out every Aug. 10. Some older fans believe his birthday is in October as Snoopy was introduced to the world Read More …
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Florida’s Pulitzer Prize-winning author, was born in Washington, D.C., on this date in 1896. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1939 for her best-selling novel, “The Yearling.” Rawlings lived in Cross Creek, Florida, where she wrote six novels, a volume of short Read More …
August 6th is National Root Beer Float Day. Some root beer history: Sassafras root beverages were made by indigenous peoples of the Americas for culinary and medicinal reasons before the arrival of Europeans in North America, and European culinary techniques have been applied to making Read More …
Did you know that Jacksonville is home to the oldest farmers market in Florida? The Jacksonville Farmers Market at 1801 Beaver Street has been around since 1938! Since this week is National Farmers Market Week, there is not a better time to check it out! Read More …
On July 31, 1968, a young, black man was reading the newspaper when he saw something that he had never seen before. With tears in his eyes, he started running and screaming throughout the house, calling for his mom. He would show his mom, and, Read More …
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 …
Today is Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, a time to remember those brave service members who fought in this important conflict. Here in Jacksonville, we will never forget their service and sacrifices, and those from all who serve or have served. Thank you for taking 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 …
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 …