Today in Florida History
Cities in Florida: Fort Lauderdale - Hialeah - Jacksonville - Miami - Orlando, FL - St. Petersburg, FL - Tallahassee - Tampa
Historical Events
Results 1 - 100 of 146
1492-10-07 - Columbus misses Florida when he changed course
1513-03-27 - Spaniard Juan Ponce de Leon discovers Florida
1513-04-02 - Florida discovered, claimed for Spain by Ponce de Leon
1513-04-08 - Explorer Juan Ponce de Leon claimed Florida for Spain
1527-05-17 - Pánfilo de Narváez departs to explore Florida
1528-05-01 - Pánfilo the Narváez begins exploration to with 350 men to Florida
1528-09-28 - Spanish fleet sinks in Florida hurricane; about 380 die
1539-05-28 - Hernando de Soto lands in Florida
1539-05-30 - Spanish explorer Fernando de Soto discovers Florida
1539-06-03 - Hernando De Soto claims Florida for Spain
1561-09-23 - King Philip II of Spain forbids Spanish settlements in Florida
1565-09-08 - 1st permanent settlement in US forms (St Augustine, Florida)
1566-02-13 - St Augustine, Florida founded
1622-09-06 - Spanish silver fleet disappears off Florida Keys; 1,000s die
1702-10-27 - English troops plunder St Augustine Florida
1715-07-29 - 10 Spanish treasure galleons sinks off Florida coast by hurricane
1715-07-30 - Spanish gold & silver fleet disappears off St Lucie, Florida
1810-10-26 - US annexes western Florida
1810-10-27 - US annexes West Florida from Spain
1817-11-20 - 1st Seminole War begins in Florida
1817-11-27 - US soldiers attack Florida Indian village, beginning Seminole War
1818-05-24 - Gen Andrew Jackson captures Pensacola Florida
1819-02-22 - Spain renounces claims to Oregon Country, Florida (Adams-Onís Treaty)
1820-10-20 - Spain sells part of Florida to US for $5 million
1821-02-22 - Spain sells (east) Florida to United States for $5 million
1821-07-17 - Spain cedes Florida to US
1822-03-30 - Congress combined East & West Florida into Florida Territory
1839-02-25 - Seminoles & black allies shipped from Tampa Bay Florida, to West
1842-08-14 - Seminole War ends; Indians removed from Florida to Oklahoma
1845-03-03 - Florida becomes 27th state
1861-01-06 - Florida troops seize Federal arsenal at Apalachicola
1861-01-07 - Florida troops takeover Ft Marion at St Augustine
1861-01-10 - Florida becomes 3rd state to secede from US
1861-01-10 - American Civil War: Florida secedes from the Union.
1861-01-18 - American Civil War - Georgia joins South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama in seceding from the United States.
1861-03-08 - St Augustine Florida surrenders to Union armies
1861-07-08 - Skirmish at Florida, MI - A rebel encampment is attacked & dispersed
1862-03-05 - Union troops under brig-gen Wright occupy Fernandina Florida
1863-01-16 - -Aug 23rd) Cruise of CSS Florida
1864-02-02 - -Oct 7th) Cruise of CSS Florida
1864-02-07 - Federal troops occupy Jacksonville, Florida
1864-02-20 - Civil War battle of Olustee, Florida
1864-10-07 - Naval Engagement at Bahia Harbor Brazil-CSS Florida vs USS Wachusett
1865-03-06 - Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida
1868-01-20 - Florida constitutional convention meets in Tallahassee
1868-02-10 - Conservatives & military, seize Convention Hall in Florida
1870-03-30 - Florida territorial government established.
1881-08-27 - Hurricane hits Florida & Carolinas; about 700 die
1892-02-29 - St. Petersburg, Florida is incorporated.
1899-02-13 - -2°F (-19°C) Tallahassee, Florida (state record)
1901-05-03 - Fire destroyed 1,700 buildings in Jacksonville, Florida
1921-02-24 - 1st transcontinental flight in 24 hrs flying time arrives Florida
1926-09-16 - -22] Hurricane in Florida & Alabama, kills 372
1926-09-17 - Hurricane hits Miami & Palm Beach Florida; about 450 die
1928-09-12 - -17] Hurricane in Florida, kills 6,000
1928-09-16 - Hurricane hits West Palm Beach-Lake Okeechobee Florida; 3,000 die
1928-09-17 - Hurricane hits Lake Okeechobee Florida drowning 1,800-2500
1931-05-22 - Canned rattlesnake meat 1st goes on sale in Florida
1931-06-29 - 109°F (43°C), Monticello, Florida (state record)
1935-09-02 - A hurricane slams Florida Keys killing 423
1936-03-08 - The first stock car race is held in Daytona Beach, Florida.
1938-06-23 - Marineland opens in Florida-1st aquarium
1938-08-24 - Virgil Trucks strikes out his 418th batter, highest season total in organized ball-for Andalusia in an Alabama-Florida League game
1942-01-04 - Premier Churchill & General Marshall fly to Florida
1945-09-15 - A hurricane in southern Florida and the Bahamas destroys 366 planes and 25 blimps at NAS Richmond.
1945-12-05 - "Lost Squadron" crashes east of Florida (Bermuda Triangle)
1947-12-06 - The Everglades National Park in Florida is dedicated.
1947-12-14 - The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is founded in Daytona Beach, Florida.
1948-12-28 - The DC-3 airliner NC16002 disappears 50 miles south of Miami, Florida.
1950-09-05 - 98.3 cm rainfall at Yankeetown, Florida (state record)
1951-02-25 - Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins Orlando Florida 2 Ball Golf Tournament
1954-12-04 - The first Burger King is opened in Miami, Florida, USA
1956-05-30 - Bus boycott begins in Tallahassee Florida
1960-08-09 - Race riot in Jacksonville Florida
1962-03-10 - Due to it's no black policy, Phillies leave Jack Tar Harrison Hotel & move to Rocky Point Motel, 20 miles outside Clearwater, Florida
1965-09-07 - -10] Hurricane Betsy, kills 74 in Florida, Miss & La
1965-09-08 - Hurricane Betsy kills 75 in Louisiana & Florida
1965-09-12 - Hurricane Betsy strikes Florida & Louisiana kills 75
1966-06-14 - Miami beats St Petersburg (Florida State League) 4-3 in 29 innings longest uninterrupted game in organized baseball
1966-09-24 - -30] Hurricane Inez, kills 293 in Caribbean, Florida & Mexico
1966-11-22 - 32nd Heisman Trophy Award: Steve Spurrier, Florida (QB)
1967-06-11 - Race riot in Tampa Florida; National Guard mobilizes
1967-07-16 - Prison brawl ignites barracks, killing 37 (Jay, Florida)
1968-02-19 - 1st US Teachers strike (Florida)
1968-08-08 - Race riot in Miami Florida
1969-08-30 - Racial disturbances in Fort Lauderdale Florida
1969-10-31 - Race riot in Jacksonville Florida
1970-06-16 - Race riots in Miami Florida
1970-07-30 - -Aug 5] Hurricane Celia, kills 31 in Cuba, Florida & Texas
1970-11-07 - Race riots in Daytona Beach Florida
1971-06-16 - Racial disturbance in Jacksonville Florida
1971-10-01 - Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida opens
1972-03-25 - 34th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: UCLA beats Florida 81-76
1972-06-19 - -29] Hurricane Agnes, kills 118 in NY & Florida
1972-07-10 - Democratic convention opens in Miami Beach Florida (McGovern)
1974-12-05 - 1st World Football League Bowl, Birmingham Americans beat Florida
1974-12-31 - 41st Sugar Bowl: Nebraska 13 beats Florida 10
1975-07-14 - EPCOT Center (Florida) plans announced
1977-01-19 - Snow falls in Miami, Florida. This is the only time in the history of the city that snowfall has occurred. It also fell in the Bahamas.
1978-07-13 - Walter Poenisch completes swim of 207 km from Cuba to Florida
Famous Birthdays
Results 1 - 87 of 87
1460-04-08 - Ponce de Leon, Spain, searched for fountain of youth, found Florida
1519-02-15 - Pedro Menendez de Aviles, explorer (found St Augustine Florida)
1871-06-17 - James Weldon Johnson, lawyer (1st black admitted to Florida Bar)
1885-07-25 - Benito Lynch, Irish/Argentine writer (Caranchos de la Florida)
1909-10-10 - Florida Friebus, actress (Dobie Gillis' mom, Bob Newhart Show)
1912-02-16 - Machito "Frank Grillo", Florida, bandleader (created salsa music)
1922-11-08 - Esther Rolle, Pompano Beach Fla, actress (Florida-Good Times, Maude)
1924-10-26 - Tom F Lewis, (Rep-R-Florida, 1983- )
1926-04-29 - Carie Meek, (Rep-D-Florida)
1929-10-28 - 1st child born in aircraft, Miami, Florida
1930-02-16 - Ricou Browning, Florida, director/actor (Thunderball)
1930-04-03 - Lawton Chiles, (sen/gov-D-Florida, 1971-89/91- )
1930-07-16 - Michael Bilirakis, (Rep-R-Florida, 1983- )
1934-06-01 - Pat Boone, Florida, singer/actor (April Love, Cross & Switchblade)
1935-06-26 - Douglas Peterson, (Rep-D-Florida)
1936-09-05 - Alcee Hastings, (Rep-D-Florida)
1936-11-09 - Bob Graham, (Sen-D Florida)
1938-11-26 - Porter J Goss, (Rep-R-Florida)
1939-03-14 - William Benjamin Lenoir, Miami Florida, astronaut (STS 5)
1939-04-30 - Ellen Taafe Zwilich, Miami Florida, (1st woman composer Pulitzer 1982)
1939-08-30 - Elizabeth Ashley, [Cole], Ocala Florida, actress (Coma, Evening Shade)
1941-04-16 - Cliff Stearns, (Rep-R-Florida)
1942-05-30 - Dan Miller, (Rep-R-Florida)
1944-07-12 - Bill McCollum, (Rep-R-Florida, 1981- )
1946-11-11 - Corrine Brown, (Rep-D-Florida)
1946-12-10 - Walter "Clyde" Orange, Florida, rocker (Commodores-Too Hot to Trot)
1949-06-21 - Jim Bacchus, (Rep-D-Florida)
1952-07-15 - Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, (Rep-R-Florida)
1953-11-01 - N Jan Davis, Cocoa Beach Florida, PhD/astronaut (STS 47, 60, 85)
1954-05-10 - Jeff Apple, Miami Florida, producer (In the Line of Fire)
1954-06-22 - Charles T Canady, (Rep-R-Florida)
1954-08-13 - Lincoln Diaz-Balart, (Rep-R-Florida)
1955-06-05 - Nancy Stafford, Fla, Miss Florida (1977)/actress (Joan-St Elsewhere)
1956-07-24 - Charles Crist, Governor of Florida
1956-08-08 - Wes Chandler, Florida, WLAF wide receiver coach (Rhein Fire)
1957-04-01 - Peter Deutsch, (Rep-D-Florida)
1959-04-02 - Victoria Jackson, Miami Florida, comedian (SNL, Casual Sex)
1959-09-04 - William Kennedy Smith, Kennedy accused of rape in Florida (1991)
1959-10-20 - Razor Ramon, [Scott Hall], wrestler (WWF/WCW/NWA/Florida/AWA/KC)
1961-04-18 - Ian Doig, Seaforth Ont, Canadian Tour golfer (1985 Florida Classic)
1963-02-06 - Mike Hough, Montreal, NHL left wing (Florida Panthers)
1963-03-01 - Magnus Svensson, Leksand Swe, NHL defenseman (Florida Panthers)
1963-07-09 - Pamela Annette Sanders, Miami Florida, playmate (November, 1985)
1963-07-31 - Brian Skrudland, Peace River, NHL center (Florida Panthers)
1963-09-04 - John Vanbiesbrouck, Detroit MI, NHL goalie (Team USA, Florida)
1965-01-14 - Dave Lowry, Sudbury, NHL left wing (Florida Panthers)
1966-03-07 - Terry Carkner, Smiths Falls, NHL defenseman (Florida Panthers)
1966-05-27 - Ray Sheppard, Pembroke, NHL right wing (Florida Panthers)
1966-06-11 - Scott Mellanby, Montreal, NHL right wing (Florida Panthers)
1966-10-18 - Alan Mills, Lakeland Florida, pitcher (Baltimore Orioles)
1967-02-23 - Gord Murphy, Willowdale, NHL defenseman (Florida Panthers)
1967-03-20 - Dana Rinehart Dalton, Orlando Florida, Miss Florida-America (1991)
1968-03-21 - Johan Garpenlov, Stockholm Swe, NHL left wing (Florida Panthers)
1968-08-28 - Tom Fitzgerald, Melrose, NHL right wing (Florida Panthers)
1968-11-12 - Derek Bell, Tampa Florida, outfielder (Houston Astros)
1968-11-13 - Mark Fitzpatrick, Toronto, NHL goalie (Florida Panthers)
1968-12-11 - Derek Bell, Tampa Florida, outfielder (Houston Astros)
1968-12-13 - Shaun Stafford, Ocala Florida, tennis star (1992 Taipei)
1969-01-02 - Robert Svehla, Martin Cze, NHL defenseman (Florida Panthers, Slovakia)
1969-02-02 - Jody Hull, Cambridge, NHL right wing (Florida Panthers)
1969-03-07 - Geoff Smith, Edmonton, NHL defenseman (Florida Panthers)
1969-06-27 - Mark Telerico, Cleveland Ohio, Canadian Tour golfer (1994 S Florida)
1969-07-27 - Jason Woolley, Toronto, NHL defenseman (Florida Panthers)
1969-10-07 - Brent Dorman, Ocala Florida, Canadian Tour golfer
1970-08-17 - Jim Courier, Sanford Florida, tennis champ (1990, 91 French)
1970-09-26 - Paul Laus, Beamsville, NHL defenseman (Florida Panthers)
1970-10-29 - Dan Ratushny, Nepean, NHL defenseman (Florida Panthers)
1970-12-25 - Stu Barnes, Spruce Grove, NHL center (Florida Panthers)
1971-05-17 - Bill Lindsay, Big Fork, NHL left wing (Florida Panthers)
1971-10-15 - Angelia Savage, Miss USA-Florida (1997, top 6)
1972-03-29 - John Rothell, Titusville Florida, 400m hurdler
1972-06-02 - Renee Heiken, Peoria IL, LPGA golfer (1994 Florida Women's Open)
1972-09-03 - Martin Straka, Pizen CZE, NHL forward (Team Czech Rep, Florida)
1974-01-20 - Calvin Harrison, Orlando Florida, 200m/400m runner
1974-07-10 - Idalmis Marina Vidal, Miss Florida USA (1996)
1974-08-05 - Jamie Lynn Bolding, Lakeland Florida, Miss America-Florida (1997)
1974-12-28 - Rob Niedermayer, Cassiar, NHL center (Florida Panthers)
1975-04-10 - Steve Washburn, Ottawa, NHL center (Florida Panthers)
1975-07-05 - Todd Macdonald, Charlestown, NHL goalie (Florida Panthers)
1976-01-27 - Rhett Warrener, Shaunavon, NHL defenseman (Florida Panthers)
1976-02-18 - Jason Podollan, Vernon, NHL center (Florida Panthers)
1976-06-12 - Kristin Alicia Beall Ludecke, Eustis Fla, Miss America-Florida (1996)
1976-06-26 - Ed Jovanoski, Windsor Ont, NHL defenseman (Florida Panthers)
1976-08-01 - David Nemirovsky, Toronto, NHL right wing (Florida Panthers)
1977-03-09 - Radek Dvorak, Tabor Cze, NHL left wing (Florida Panthers)
1979-01-21 - Kelly Gaudet, Miss Florida Teen USA (1996)
1981-06-15 - Cristin Duren, Miss Florida Teen USA (Miss Photogenic-1997)
Famous Deaths
Results 1 - 11 of 11
1923-01-02 - Sam Carter, black resident of Rosewood Florida, lynched by KKK
1934-06-10 - Frederick Delius, English composer (Suite Florida), dies at 72
1945-10-12 - Jesse James Payne, lynched in Madison County Florida
1951-12-25 - Harry T Moore, Florida NAACP official, killed by bomb
1988-05-27 - Florida Friebus, actress (Bob Newhart Show), dies of a stroke at 79
1989-01-24 - Ted Bundy, serial killer of up to 100 women, executed in Florida at 42
1990-08-03 - Florida Edwards, dies of pneumonia at 79
1990-09-03 - David Acer, Florida dentist, dies of AIDs after infecting 5 patients
1993-07-15 - Bobby Kent, alleged Florida bully murdered by his friends (b. 1973)
1997-09-30 - Male alligator, largest in Florida (14 feet), killed at about 65
1998-12-12 - Lawton Chiles, U.S. Senator from Florida and Governor of Florida (b. 1930)
