1513: Spanish explorer, Juan Ponce de Leon landed near present
day: St. Augustine, named it La Florida, and claimed it for Spain
1539: Hernando de Soto explored central and northern Florida
1565: Spanish established St. Augustine, first permanent European
settlement
1586: British seafarer, Sir Francis Drake, conquered and burned St.
Augustine
1763: Britain gained control in exchange for Havana, Cuba
1781: Spanish captured Pensacola
1783: Spanish troops repossessed Florida
1785-1795: Spain relinquished St. Augustine and Pensacola to England
1803: United States claimed West Florida and Pensacola as part of
Louisiana Purchase
1813: Andrew Jackson captured Pensacola from the British
1816: Cannon ball exploded in abandoned British fort, killed almost
300 freed and runaway slaves
1818: General Jackson fought with Seminole Indians
1821: General Jackson established new U. S. territorial government
1822: Unified government of Florida established; William Duval first
Territorial Governor
1830-1840: Population boomed, settlers arrived
1834-1837: First railroads began operation; second Seminole War
occurred, Major Francis Dade and two U S Army troops ambushed and massacred
1837: General Zachary Taylor commanded forces against Seminoles at
Lake Okeechobee
1842: Second Seminole War ended with many Indians dead, the rest
forced out of Florida
1845: Florida became 27th state
1851: Dr. John Gorrie patented process making ice artificially
1855-1858: Third Seminole War occurred
1861-1865: Civil War began; Florida seceded from Union, joined
Confederacy
1868: Florida readmitted to Union
1878: Tourism began at Silver Spring, Hullam Jones invented
glass-bottom boat
1881: Phosphate discovered in Peace River Valley
1888: Yellow fever epidemic struck, 40% of Jacksonville population
fled, over 400 died
1894-1899: On-going frosts killed many citrus trees
1898: Embarkation camps created at Tampa, Miami and Jacksonville due
to Spanish-American War
1914: First U.S. scheduled airline service flight from St.
Petersburg to Tampa occurred
1920: Hurricanes hit Florida, destroyed property, killing hundreds
1926: Hurricane devastated Miami, killed nearly 200
1927: Sugar growing and milling began at Clewiston in Everglades
1928: 1500 people drowned by water driven from Lake Okeechobee by
hurricane
1933: Guiseppi Zangara attempted to assassinate President-elect
Roosevelt in Miami, Mayor Anton Cermak of Chicago killed
1935: Storm struck Florida Keys, killed nearly 400
1947: Everglades National Park dedicated by President Truman
1950: Cape Canaveral became space and rocket center; frozen juice
concentrate became major industry
1954: 15.2 miles Sunshine Skyway bridge across lower Tampa Bay
opened
1954: U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregation of public schools
unconstitutional
1958: National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA: began
operations at Cape Canaveral; first satellite, Explorer 1, launched
1959: Fidel Castro became Cuba leader; Cuban immigrants began
arriving in Miami
1961: Cape Canaveral launched first manned vessel into space
1963: President Lyndon Johnson changed name of Cape Canaveral to
Cape Kennedy and the installation to John F. Kennedy Space Center
1964: Hurricane Cleo caused property damages of $115,320,000
1968: Republicans held national convention in Miami Beach; statewide
teacher walkout occurred
1969: Apollo 11 launched, carried first men to moon
1971: Apollo 14 landed on moon; Walt Disney World opened
1972: Apollo 16 landed on moon; Tropical Storm Agnes caused heavy
damage to Florida eastern seaboard
1973: Miami Dolphins won Super Bowl; 25.5 million people visit
Florida; "freedom flights" from Cuba ended
1977: Severe cold devestated citrus and vegetable crops
1980: 16 killed, 300 injured in race riots in Miami; Mariel boatlift
brought 140,000 Cubans to Florida
1983: Challenger launched, first American woman, Sally Ride, aboard;
38 overseas highway bridges from Key Largo to Key West opened
1986: Worst space tragedy occurred when Challenger exploded killed
all seven astronauts; Spanish galleon "Nuestra Senora de Atocha" found, gold
and silver salvaged
1988: Space shuttle flights resumed
1990: Rivers in Panhandle flooded, caused evacuation of 2,000 home;
Tampa awarded franchise in National Hockey League
1991: Eastern Airlines goes out of business; Queen Elizabeth II
visited Miami and Tampa; Miami awarded major league baseball franchise
1992: Hurricane Andrew devastated Homestead and South Florida; 58
deaths occurred, 25,000 homes destroyed, 10,000 damaged, 80,000 in shelters
1993: Janet Reno became first woman to serve as a U.S. Attorney
General
2000: Six-year old Elian Gonzalez taken from relatives' home by
federal officers; reunited with his father and returned to Cuba; Florida
Supreme Court ordered recount of presidential election ballots, George Bush
declared winner
2001: Racer Dale Earnhardt killed in accident at Daytona 500;
anthrax bacteria found at offices of Florida magazine publishers
2003: Space Shuttle Columbia destroyed upon reentry, all seven
crewmember killed; Tampa Bay Buccaneers won Super Bowl; plane hijacked in
Cuba landed in Key West; boiler on cruise ship exploded, killed four,
injured 21; Marlins won World Series
2004: Four hurricanes struck Florida causing extensive damage,
killed at least 19
2005: Florida struck twice by hurricanes; after long delay the
Discovery space shuttle launched
2005: Miami Heat won NBA finals; FBI arrested seven people in Miami
who were planning to blow up Chicago's Sears Tower
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