1559 – The first Spanish settlement in the present United States was established by Don Tristan de Luna Arellano on this date. De Luna’s party consisted of Dominican friars, soldiers, and settlers who built their settlement on the site of today’s Pensacola. On September 9th a large hurricane swept through the area and destroyed many of De Luna’s ships and their cargo, leaving the settlers with very few supplies. The settlement was abandoned after two years. Europeans would not populate the area again until 1698.

1906 - Factory workers in Key West instituted a boycott of the streetcar system because of the three cents fare. Workers also demanded transfer privileges. The cigar industry was an important component to the development of Key West during the late 19th century and there are a number of companies still making cigars on the island.

1822 - Jackson County, Florida’s third county, and Duval County, Florida's fourth county, were created on this date. Jackson was named for Andrew Jackson, Governor of Florida and President of the United States. Duval was named for William Pope Duval (1784-1854), Territorial governor of Florida from 1822-1834.

1841 - Richard K. Call was commissioned as Governor of the Territory of Florida for a second term on this date. The Commission was signed by President John Tyler and Secretary of State Daniel Webster.

The State Archives of Florida recently digitized a large collection of Call’s correspondence records which are housed at the Florida Historical Society Library of Florida History. Check them out here:

http://floridamemory.com/collections/rkcall/

1955 - Orlando's first interracial Little League baseball game was played at Lake Lorna Doone Park. The Orlando Kiwanis team defeated the black Pensacola Jaycees team 5-0.

Photo: Then and now aerial photos of Lake Lorna Doone Park (adjacent to the Citrus Bowl).

2005 - Governor Jeb Bush and the Florida Cabinet voted to acquire more than 1,390 acres in Jefferson and Leon Counties, completing the Letchworth Mounds Florida Forever project and protecting close to 2,000 years of history on this date. A prominent archaeological site, Letchworth Mounds represents centuries of Native American heritage.

1896 - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Florida’s Pulitzer Prize winning author, was born on this date in Washington, D.C. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1939 for her best-selling novel, The Yearling. Rawlings lived in Cross Creek, FL, where she wrote six novels, a volume of short stories, and a collection of essays. In 2008, the U.S. Postal Service added the 24th collectible postage stamp to its Literary Arts series of commemorative stamps with their release of the 41-cent First-Class Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings stamp.

1956 – Elvis Presley performed three shows at the Florida Theater in St. Petersburg at 3:30pm, 7:00pm and 9:00pm on this date with approximately 6,500 people in attendance. In early August, Presley’s hit singles, “Hound dog,” and “Don’t be Cruel,” exploded onto the Billboard charts, and his Florida tour coincided with this latest round of “Presley-mania.” From August 3rd - August 11th, Presley performed 25 shows total in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Lakeland, Miami, Orlando, Daytona Beach, and Jacksonville.

1868 – The Florida Legislature authorizes the current State Seal on this date. The First Session of the Legislature of Florida quickly passed Joint Resolution No.

1861 - The Federal Ship Jamestown, operating off the east coast near Fernandina, captured the Alvarado, the first reported capture of a blockade runner in Florida waters. The residents of Amelia Island, who witnessed the capture, attempted to come to the aid of the stricken blockade runner. The Union ship captain, fearing a rescue foray from the nearby shore, ordered the Alvarado burned.