Florida History Timeline

Events 1 - 100 of 240

• 1513-04-02 Explorer Juan Ponce de León claims Florida for Spain as the first known European to reach Florida
• 1527-06-17 Pánfilo de Narváez departs Spain to explore Florida with 5 ships and 600 men, by 1536 only 4 are still alive
• 1528-04-15 Pánfilo the Narváez, Spanish conquistador arrives in Florida with 350 men to a hostile reception from native indians
• 1528-09-22 Remaining crew of Spanish Narváez Expedition depart Florida in 5 crude boats destined for Texas, by sailing along the coast, a course disrupted by storms that carry them out to open Gulf of Mexico waters; boats land on barrier islands in early November [1]

• 1562-04-30 Jean Ribault and colonists arrive in Florida, the first French colonists in North America
• 1565-09-08 1st permanent European settlement in the US founded at St. Augustine, Florida
• 1565-09-20 Spaniards capture Fort Caroline Florida & massacre the French
• 1622-09-06 Spanish silver fleet disappears off Florida Keys; 1,000s die
• 1702-10-27 British troops plunder St Augustine, Florida
• 1715-07-29 10 Spanish treasure galleons sunk off Florida coast by a hurricane
• 1715-07-30 Spanish gold and silver fleet disappears off St Lucie, Florida
• 1799-11-12 Andrew Ellicott makes the first known record of a meteor shower observation in the U.S, from a ship off the coast of Florida Keys
• 1810-10-27 United States annexes West Florida from Spain
• 1817-11-21 US soldiers attack Miccosukee Tribe village of Fowltown, Georgia, beginning what becomes known as the First Seminole War

• 1818-05-24 General Andrew Jackson captures Pensacola, Florida
• 1819-02-22 The Adams–Onís Treaty between Spain and the United States is signed, ceding Florida to the US and defining the boundary between the US and New Spain
• 1822-03-30 Congress combines East & West Florida into Florida Territory
• 1839-02-25 Seminoles & black allies shipped from Tampa Bay Florida, to the West
• 1842-08-14 Second Seminole War declared over by US Army Colonel Worth, after nearly 7 years; more than 3000 Seminole Nation survivors re-located from Florida to Oklahoma, only about 300 allowed to remain [1]
• 1845-03-03 Florida becomes 27th state of the Union
• 1850-07-14 1st public demonstration of ice made by refrigeration by Florida physician John Gorrie
• 1861-01-06 Florida troops seize Federal arsenal at Apalachicola
• 1861-01-07 Florida troops takeover Fort Marion at St Augustine (US Civil War)
• 1861-01-10 Florida secedes from the Union (US Civil War)
• 1861-01-12 Florida state troops demand surrender of Fort Pickens (US Civil War)
• 1861-01-15 US Civil War: Union forces at Fort Pikens on Santa Rosa Island near Pensacola, Florida refuse Florida Militia demand to surrender
• 1861-03-08 St Augustine Florida surrenders to Union armies
• 1861-08-05 Naval Engagement at Fernandina, Florida, the USS Vincennes ends rebel blockade
• 1861-11-22 Battle of Fort McRee, Florida
• 1862-03-05 Union troops under Brigadier General Wright occupy Fernandina, Florida (US Civil War)
• 1862-05-09 Battle of Fort Pickens, Florida, Pensacola evacuated by Confederates
• 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
• 1865-03-25 Battle of Bluff Spring, Florida
• 1865-05-10 Major General Sam Jones, the Confederate military leader in Florida, South Carolina and South Georgia, surrenders to Union forces

• 1868-01-20 Florida constitutional convention meets in Tallahassee
• 1868-02-10 Conservatives & military seize Convention Hall in Florida
• 1868-06-25 Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina readmitted to US, after the Civil War
• 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 destroys 1,700 buildings in Jacksonville, Florida
• 1903-03-14 1st national bird reservation established in Sebastian, Florida
• 1912-02-08 1st eastbound US transcontinental flight lands in Jacksonville, Florida
• 1921-02-24 1st transcontinental flight in 24 hrs flying time arrives in Florida
• 1923-01-02 Ku Klux Klan surprise attack on black residential area Rosewood Florida, 8 killed (compensation awarded in 1995)
• 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 San Felipe Segundo/Okeechobee hurricane makes landfall in Guadeloupe, French Antilles as category 4 storm, killing 1,200; additional damage and fatalities on neighboring islands of Martinique, Montserrat, and Nevis
• 1928-09-13 San Felipe Segundo/Okeechobee hurricane makes landfall in Puerto Rico as a category 5 storm, killing over 300, leaving 500,000 homeless, and causing $50M in damages (about $790M in 2020 dollars)
• 1928-09-17 San Felipe Segundo/Okeechobee hurricane makes landfall in West Palm Beach-Lake Okeechobee, Florida as category 4 storm, killing 2,500- 3,000 and causing $25M in damages (about $345M in 2020 dollars)

• 1931-05-22 1931 George End introduces “Genuine Diamondback Rattlesnake with Supreme Sauce” in a can, by his Florida Products Corporation; the popular item ceases production in 1944 after when the owner dies, a victim of one snake's revenge [1]
• 1931-06-29 109°F (43°C), Monticello, Florida (state record, until broken in 2015)
• 1932-02-24 Malcolm Campbell sets world land speed record speed of 253.96 mph driving his famous Blue Bird car at Daytona Beach, Florida
• 1932-03-02 Australian golf trick-shot artist Joe Kirkwood posts an incredible 83 using only his putter over 18 holes at Belleaire, Florida; round includes 6 pars and 1 birdie
• 1933-02-22 Malcolm Campbell sets a world land speed record of 272.46 mph driving his famous Blue Bird car at Daytona Beach, Florida
• 1935-01-04 Ft Jefferson National Monument, Florida established
• 1935-03-07 Malcolm Campbell sets world land speed record speed of 276.71 mph driving his famous Blue Bird car; last record set at Daytona Beach, Florida
• 1935-09-02 Labor Day hurricane makes landfall in Florida, killing 423 people, the strongest and most intense hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States
• 1936-01-16 1st photo finish camera installed at Hialeah Race track in Hialeah, Florida
• 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

• 1943-12-16 "Tamiami Champion" (New York to Florida) trains collide, kills 73 & injures 200
• 1945-09-15 A hurricane in southern Florida and the Bahamas destroys 366 planes and 25 blimps at NAS Richmond
• 1945-12-05 Flight 19 the "Lost Squadron" of 5 torpedo bombers and 14 airmen is lost east of Florida in the supposed Bermuda Triangle

• 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 38.7 inches (98.3 cm) rainfall - over several days - at Yankeetown, Florida (state record)

• 1954-12-04 The first Burger King is opened in Miami, Florida, USA
• 1955-02-14 WFLA (now WXFL) TV channel 8 in Tampa-St Petersburg, Florida (NBC) begins
• 1956-05-30 Bus boycott begins in Tallahassee Florida
• 1956-07-29 WCKT (now WSVN) TV channel 7 in Miami, Florida (IND) begins broadcasting
• 1959-06-08 1st official "missile mail" lands (Jacksonville, Florida)
• 1960-08-09 Race riot in Jacksonville, Florida
• 1962-03-10 Due to its no black policy, Phillies leave Jack Tar Harrison Hotel & move to Rocky Point Motel, 20 miles outside Clearwater, Florida
• 1963-12-01 Wendell Scott wins the Grand National Series Jacksonville 200 at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida, becoming the first black driver to win a race at NASCAR's premier level
• 1965-07-17 WLCY (now WTSP) TV channel 10 in St Petersburg-Tampa, Florida (ABC) begins
• 1965-09-07 -10] Hurricane Betsy, kills 74 in Florida, Mississippi & Louisiana
• 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 the Caribbean, Florida & Mexico

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Birthdays 1 - 100 of 563

• 1519-02-15 Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, Spanish admiral and explorer who founded St. Augustine, Florida, born in Avilés, Spain (d. 1574)
• 1683-04-03 Mark Catesby, English naturalist (Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands) (d. 1749)

• 1821-09-28 Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs, American politician (Secretary of State and Superintendent of Public Instruction of Florida) and Presbyterian minister, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1874)
• 1824-05-16 Edmund Kirby Smith, American military officer (Confederate Army General), born in St Augustine, Florida (d. 1893)
• 1827-10-02 Edmund Jackson Davis, American lawyer, soldier, and Brigadier General (Union Army), born in St. Augustine, Florida (d. 1883)
• 1829-06-06 John Baillie McIntosh, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Fort Brooke, Florida Territory (d. 1888)
• 1833-11-29 Louis Douglass Watkins, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Tallahassee, Florida, (d. 1868)

• 1861-11-07 Jeff Milton, American lawman, born in Marianna, Florida (d. 1947)

• 1885-07-25 Benito Lynch, Irish-Argentine writer (Caranchos de la Florida), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 1951)
• 1885-10-19 Charles E. Merrill, American investment banker (Merrill Lynch), born in Green Cove Springs, Florida (d. 1956)
• 1889-04-15 A. Philip Randolph, American labor leader (Railroad Porter's Union), born in Crescent City, Florida (d. 1979)
• 1889-09-16 Claude Albert Barnett, American journalist and founder (Associated Negro Press), born in Sanford, Florida (d. 1967)
• 1892-02-29 Augusta Savage (née Fells), African-American sculptor and equal rights advocate, born in Green Cove Springs, Florida (d. 1962) [1]
• 1892-07-15 Henry Johnson, American soldier of 369th regiment (aka Harlem Hell Fighters), 1st US WWI soldier to receive the Croix de guerre after fighting a German raid in hand-to-hand combat to rescue a fellow soldier (posthumous Medal of Honour, 2015), born in Tallahassee, Florida, (d. 1929)
• 1897-08-10 Edward Gourdin, American athlete (long jump WR 7.69 m 1921; Olympic silver 1924) and jurist, born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 1966)
• 1899-10-20 Evelyn Brent, American actress (Panama Lady, Last Command), born in Tampa, Florida (d. 1975)
• 1902-05-30 Stepin Fetchit [Lincoln Perry], American actor (Miracle in Harlem) 1st African American film star, born in Key West, Florida (d. 1985)
• 1906-03-19 Roy Roberts, American actor (Petticoat Junction, Lucy Show), born in Tampa, Florida (d. 1975)
• 1906-05-11 Jacqueline Cochran, US pilot and 1st woman to break the sound barrier, born in Muscogee, Florida (d. 1980)
• 1907-12-03 Machito [Francisco "Frank" Grillo], Latin jazz musician and creator of Cu-bop and salsa music (Afro-Cubans), born in Havana, Cuba - NB: birth date and location disputed (d. 1984)

• 1909-10-10 Florida Friebus, American actress (The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis ' Mrs. Gillis"; The Bob Newhart Show - "Mrs. Bakerman"), born in Auburndale, Massachusetts (d. 1988)
• 1911-01-07 (Thelma) "Butterfly" McQueen, American actress (Gone With The Wind; Flame of Barbary Coast), born in Tampa, Florida (d. 1995)
• 1911-07-07 Joan Perry [Elizabeth Rosiland Miller], American film actress, model, and singer (Hands of a Stranger), born in Pensacola, Florida (d. 1996)
• 1911-07-09 John Archibald Wheeler, American physicist (first American involved in the theoretical development of the atomic bomb), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 2008)

• 1913-04-04 Frances Langford, American singer (I'm In The Mood For Love), entertainer (Armed Forces Hour; USO tours), actress (All-American Co-Ed; Born To Dance), and philanthropist, born in Hernando, Florida (d. 2005)
• 1913-11-20 Judy Canova, American comedian and actress (Cannonball), born in Starke, Florida (d. 1983)
• 1914-01-31 Carey Loftin, American actor (Duel, The French Connection), born in Blountstown, Florida (d. 1997)
• 1914-10-23 Dick Durrance, American skier, born in Tarpon Springs, Florida (d. 2004)
• 1915-07-11 Colin Kelly, American B-17 Flying Fortress pilot and 1st US air hero during WW II, born in Madison, Florida (d. 1941)
• 1915-09-12 Billy Daniels, African-American jazz singer ("That Old Black Magic") and television pioneer (The Billy Daniels Show), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 1988)
• 1915-10-02 Robert Russell "Chubby" Wise, American musician, born in Lake City, Florida (d. 1996)
• 1916-05-14 Del Moore, American comedian and actor (Life With Elizabeth; Bachelor Father - "Cal"; Cinderfella), born in Pensacola, Florida (d. 1970)
• 1917-03-09 Dante Fascell, American politician (U.S. House of Representatives from Florida), born in Bridgehampton, New York (d. 1998)
• 1917-03-11 Robert L Carter, Caryville, Florida, American civil rights activist and judge (Brown v. Board of Education, NAACP v. Alabama) (d. 2012)
• 1920-01-20 Sam Gibbons, American politician (Rep-D-FL, 1963-97), born in Tampa, Florida (d. 2012)
• 1920-11-08 Esther Rolle, Bahamian-American actress (Good Times, Maude), born in Pompano Beach Florida (d. 1998)
• 1923-01-20 (Ottis) "Slim" Whitman, American country singer ("Rose Marie"; "Guess Who"), born in Tampa, Florida (d. 2013)
• 1923-01-23 Walter M. Miller Jr., American sci-fi author (Hugo; View from Stars), born in New Smyrna Beach, Florida (d. 1996)
• 1923-09-24 Theodore "Fats" Navarro, American jazz trumpet player, born in Key West, Florida (d. 1950)
• 1924-07-19 Martin Patterson "Pat" Hingle, American actor (Hang 'em High, Splendor in the Grass, Batman Returns), born in Miami, Florida (d. 2009)
• 1924-10-26 Tom Lewis, American politician (Rep-R-Florida, 1983-93), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2003)
• 1925-12-01 Jordan Klein, American underwater photographer, cinematographer and director (Thunderball), born in Miami, Florida [1]
• 1926-04-29 Carrie Meek, American politician (Rep-D-Florida 1993-2003), born in Tallahassee, Florida (d. 2021)
• 1926-05-12 Earl Hutto, American politician (Rep-D-Florida, 1979-95), born in Panama City, Florida (d. 2020)
• 1926-07-04 Mary Stuart, American actress (Jo-Search for Tomorrow), born in Miami, Florida (d. 2002)

• 1927-08-09 Daniel Keyes, American author (Flowers for Algernon), born in Boca Raton, Florida (d. 2014)
• 1927-08-29 Marion Williams, American gospel singer (Stars of Faith), born in Miami, Florida (d. 1994)
• 1927-09-27 Patrick O'Neal, American actor (Under Siege, The Stepford Wives, King Rat, Night of the Iguana), born in Ocala, Florida (d. 1994)
• 1928-08-30 Lloyd Casner, American race car driver and owner (Casner Motor Racing Division team), born in Miami, Florida (d. 1965)
• 1928-09-11 Reubin Askew, American politician (37th Governor of Florida), born in Muskogee, Oklahoma (d. 2014)
• 1928-09-15 Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader of the 1950-60s hard bop era ("The Black Messiah"), born in Tampa, Florida (d. 1975)
• 1928-10-12 Thomas Burnett Swann, American sci-fi author (Day of Minotaur), born in Tampa, Florida (d. 1976)
• 1929-01-20 Glenn "Fireball" Roberts, American auto racer (Daytona 500 1962; NASCAR 33 wins), born in Tavares, Florida (d. 1964)
• 1929-08-28 Roxie Roker, Bahamian-American actress (The Jeffersons- Helen Willis), born in Miami, Florida (d. 1995)
• 1929-10-28 Airline Falconer, 1st child born in aircraft, born in the skies above Miami, Florida
• 1929-11-08 Bobby Bowden, American College Football Hall of Fame coach (Florida State 1976-2009; National C'ship 1993, 99), born in Birmingham, Alabama (d. 2021)
• 1930-03-13 (Richard Allen) "Blue" Mitchell, American jazz trumpeter (Horace Silver Quintet; Riverside; Blue Note), born in Miami, Florida (d. 1979)
• 1930-04-03 Lawton Chiles, U.S. Senator from Florida (1971-89) and Governor of Florida (1991-98), born in Lakeland, Florida (d. 1998)

• 1930-05-22 LaSalle Leffall Jr., American surgeon, medical educator, and 1st black president of the American Cancer Society (1978), and the American College of Surgeons (1995), born in Tallahassee, Florida (d. 2019)
• 1930-07-16 Michael Bilirakis, American politician (US Representative from Florida, 1983-2007), born in Tarpon Springs, Florida
• 1930-08-14 Gerald Solomon, American businessman and politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York), born in Okeechobee, Florida (d. 2001)
• 1930-08-23 Andy Ireland, American politician (U.S. House of Representatives from Florida), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
• 1930-11-23 Ricou Browning, American film stuntman (Creature from the Black Lagoon), stunt co-ordinator (Thunderball), director, and producer (Flipper), born in Fort Pierce, Florida (d. 2023) [1]
• 1931-04-20 Lee H. Hamilton, American politician, U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana, born in Daytona Beach, Florida
• 1931-06-24 Leslie Cochran, American peace activist and police critic, born in Miami, Florida (d. 2012)
• 1931-07-04 Rick Casares, American NFL fullback (Chicago Bears), born in Tampa, Florida (d. 2013)
• 1931-11-25 Nat Adderley, American jazz musician (Work Song), born in Tampa, Florida (d. 2000)
• 1931-11-30 (Beryl) "Jack" Sheldon, American jazz trumpeter (Merv Griffin), singer (Schoolhouse Rock), and actor (Run Buddy Run), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 2019)
• 1932-01-14 Don Garlits, American racing driver (1st drag racer over 200mph for 1/4 mile), born in Tampa, Florida
• 1932-08-08 Mel Tillis [Lonnie Melvin Tillis], American country singer ("Who's Julie"; "M-M-Mel"), born in Pahokee, Florida (d. 2017)
• 1933-04-29 Edwin "Ed" Charles, American MLB third baseman (Miracle Mets-1969), born in Daytona Beach, Florida (d. 2018)
• 1933-06-16 Ken Johnson, American baseball pitcher (only pitcher to lose a complete game 9-inning no-hitter 1964), born in West Palm Beach, Florida (d. 2015)
• 1933-08-20 Don Fuqua, American Democratic politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida), born in Jacksonville, Florida
• 1934-01-06 Bobby Lord, American country singer (Ozark Jubilee), born in Sanford, Florida (d. 2008)
• 1934-06-01 (Charles) "Pat" Boone, American singer ("Tutti Frutti"), actor (April Love; The Cross and The Switchblade; No More Mr. Nice Guy) and TV personality (The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom), born in Jacksonville, Florida
• 1934-12-28 Peggy Wilson, American golfer (US Open runner-up 1969), born in Lauderdale, Mississippi
• 1935-06-21 Monte Markham, American actor (Second Hundred Years; Dallas; Baywatch), born in Manatee County, Florida
• 1935-06-26 Douglas Peterson, American politician and diplomat, born in Omaha, Nebraska
• 1935-08-13 Jim "Mudcat" Grant, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 1963, 65; Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins, and 5 other teams), singer, and writer (Black Aces), born in Lacoochee, Florida (d. 2021)
• 1935-10-12 Sam Moore, American R&B and soul vocalist (Sam & Dave - "Soul Man"), born in Miami, Florida
• 1936-02-14 Andrew Prine, American actor (V, W.E.B., Wide Country), born in Jennings, Florida
• 1936-06-30 Nancy Dussault, American actress (Muriel-Too Close for Comfort), born in Pensacola, Florida
• 1936-09-05 Alcee Hastings, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida), born in Altamonte Springs, Florida (d. 2021)
• 1936-11-09 Bob Graham, American politician (US Senator from Florida, 1987-2005; 38th Governor of Florida, 1979-87), born in Coral Gables, Florida (d. 2024) [1]
• 1937-06-11 Johnny Brown, American stage and screen comic actor (Good Times - "Bookman"; Laugh-In), and singer, born in St. Petersburg, Florida (d. 2022)
• 1938-04-20 Johnny Tillotson, American singer-songwriter ("It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'"; "Poetry In Motion"), born in Jacksonville, Florida
• 1938-07-20 Jo Ann Campbell, American pop singer ("I'm The Girl From Wolverton Mountain"; "Mother, Please!"), born in Jacksonville, Florida
• 1938-07-21 Janet Reno, first woman US Attorney General (1993-2001), born in Miami, Florida (d. 2016)
• 1938-08-14 Niara Sudarkasa [Gloria Albertha Marshall], American educator and anthropologist (Lincoln College), born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (d. 2019)
• 1938-11-26 Porter Goss, American politician (Rep-R-Florida) and 1st Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, born in Waterbury, Connecticut
• 1938-12-09 Deacon Jones, American Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end (8 × Pro Bowl; 5 × First-team All-Pro; LA Rams, SD Chargers), born in Eatonville, Florida (d. 2013)

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