Jacksonville, Florida
William Augustus Bowles and a small army comprised of runaway slaves, Seminole Indians, and ex-patriot English and Spanish citizens attacked and seized the St. Marks Store on the Wakulla River, owned by the trading firm Panton, Leslie & Company, on this date in 1792. Bowles Read More …
Author, folklorist, and anthropologist, Zora Neale Hurston, was born in Notasulga, Alabama, on this date in 1897. Best knwon for her novels and articles, Hurston grew up in Eatonville, one of the oldest incorporated African American municipalities in the U.S. Many of her literary works Read More …
Clay County, Florida’s thirty-seventh, was created on this date in 1858 by carving out part of Duval County in northeast Florida. Named after American statesman Henry Clay, the U.S. senator from Kentucky and secretary of state under President John Quincy Adams, its county seat is Read More …
“The “Million Dollar Pier,” which extends into Tampa Bay from downtown St. Petersburg, was dedicated on this date in 1926. The first pier structure on the site was built in 1889, and due to its popularity as a tourist destination, new piers were constructed over Read More …
“A Saturn IB rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral on this date in 1973 carrying the last three astronauts to visit the Spacelab space station. The Skylab 4 (SL-4) mission lasted eighty-four days and the three astronauts completed 1,214 orbits of the earth. The Skylab Read More …
“Eartha Mary Magdalene White was born in Jacksonville Nov 8,1876. Eartha M. M. White was a humanitarian and philanthropist who dedicated her life to the betterment of the poor and needy in Florida, specifically African American communities in Jacksonville. She graduated from the Stanton School Read More …
“Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs became the first African American Secretary of State for Florida on this date in 1868. Gibbs was one of eighteen African American delegates to the 1868 Florida Constitutional Convention. Gibbs was originally from Philadelphia and was only the third black man to Read More …
Canaveral Harbor, on the east coast of Florida in central Brevard County, was dedicated on this date in 1959. Canaveral Harbor, now known as Port Canaveral, is a cruise, cargo, and naval port which has also supported NASA operations since the 1960s, including the Mercury, Read More …
The Treaty of San Lorenzo, also known as Pickney’s Treaty, was signed on this date in 1795, in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain. The treaty’s full title is Treaty of Friendship, Limits, and Navigation Between Spain and the United States. Thomas Pinckney negotiated the Read More …
Walt Disney World was officially dedicated by Roy O. Disney on this date in 1971. The October 25 dedication was the culmination of a three-day dedication ceremony, which included a 1,076-piece marching band performing down Main Street, performances by the World Symphony Orchestra, and a Read More …
After launching from Kennedy Space Center on October 11, the crew of Apollo 7, Walter M. Schirra Jr. (commander), Donn F. Eisele (command module pilot), and Walter Cunningham (lunar module pilot) splashed down at 7:11:48 a.m. (EDT) on this day in 1968. It was the Read More …
The Columbia Restaurant opened its doors on this date in 1905. The Columbia Restaurant is the oldest continuously operated restaurant in Florida, and the oldest Spanish restaurant in the United States. The restaurant, which began in Ybor City as a small sixty-seat corner café, now Read More …
Hurricane Dora, the first hurricane on record to make landfall on the extreme northeast coast of Florida, struck just north of St. Augustine on this date in 1964. The storm had sustained winds of 120 mph and caused five deaths and $200 million in damage. Read More …
July 18, 1941 – A celebration was held for the grand opening of the Main Street Bridge in Jacksonville on this date. The steel vertical-lift bridge, which crosses the St. Johns River, was built at a cost of $1.5 million. Hundreds of people attended the festivities, Read More …
July 16, 1969 Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Ed Aldrin, and Michael Collins launched from the John F. Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral aboard the Apollo 11 spacecraft on this date. Apollo 11 was the fifth manned mission of the Apollo program, and its target was Read More …
July 10, 1875 – Author, educator, and African American Civil Rights leader, Mary McLeod Bethune, was born in Mayesville, South Carolina. The fifteenth child of former slaves, Bethune knew from a young age that education was the key to success. She attended Scotia Seminary School, Read More …
July 4, 1776 – Thirteen British colonies located on the Atlantic coast of North America signed a Declaration of Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain on this date. Florida was acquired by the British from the Spanish in 1763, and was subsequently divided into Read More …
July 2, 1961 – Author, journalist, and longtime Florida resident Ernest Hemingway died at his home in Idaho on this date. He is best known for his short stories and novels including, “A Farewell to Arms,” “The Old Man and the Sea,” and “To Have Read More …