1819 - Secretary Of State John Quincy Adams and Spanish minister Luis de Onís signed the Adams-Onís Treaty, also known as the Transcontinental Treaty, ceding the Floridas to the United States on this date. After the American Revolution, Spain received the Florida colonies back from Britain and almost immediately, tension along the border with the newly independent United States of America began.

1870 – Orange County Sheriff David W. Mizell was shot and skilled in an ambush while on his way to arrest cattlemen Moses E. Barber near Holopaw in what is now Osceola County on this date. The ambush stemmed from early disagreements over the payment of taxes on cattle. Moses Barber refused to pay what he believed to be unfair taxes on his cattle, and as a response Mizell and his family would take his cattle as payment for delinquent taxes. Barber publically warned Mizell not to step foot on his property, but on this date in 1870 he did, resulting in his death.

1864 – The Battle of Olustee took place on this date. Also known as the Battle of Ocean Pond, it was the largest Civil War battle fought in Florida. Union General Truman Seymour and 5,500 troops met Confederate Brigadier General Joseph Finnegan with a force of around 5,000 troops clashed near present day Lake City. Union forces were driven back to Jacksonville after intense fighting, although casualties remained high on both sides. The site of the original battle is now an historic state park and a reenactment of the battle takes place every year within the park grounds.

1968 - More than 27,000 teachers did not show up to work, forcing numerous schools to close because of a lack of instructors. The cause of the strike was under-funding of the state's educational system at a time when attendance was rising sharply, and low pay and benefits for teachers. The strike lasted from a few days in some school districts to three months in others. Although a special session of the Florida Legislature approved higher taxes to pay for more school funding, FEA members felt the funding hikes were not enough and voted to continue striking.

1924 – The Trans-Florida Central Railway was incorporated. It was affectionately dubbed the "dinky line" by the locals. The line was originally constructed for Fellsmere Farms and was completed in September 1910. On May 1, 1911 the line officially opened to the public. There were two passenger stops (River Bridge and Kitching) and the fare for the whole distance was 25 cents. The line ran between Fellsmere and Sebastian to carry logs cut in the swamps to the FEC interchange and carry supplies back to Fellsmere.

1927 – W.G. Brorein, owner and founder of the Peninsular Telephone Company, placed the first transatlantic telephone call from Tampa to London on this date. Brorein spoke with an American Telephone and Telegraph Company representative. When Brorein started the company in 1901, they had only 100 lines, and were restricted to the immediate Tampa area, but they soon bought out the interests of Bell Telephone Company in the Tampa area and occupied six counties and manage 500,000 lines by 1963.

1954 – The Florida Citrus Exposition in Winter Haven, Florida was held this week. According to the St. Petersburg Times:”… an estimated quarter-million visitors from every state in the Union, all of Canada and many foreign countries” were expected to attend. The theme of the Expo was ‘Florida Sunshine’ and included: four huge permanent buildings jammed with citrus exhibits, demonstrations of the newest developments in the citrus culture, production, packing and processing, and all the newest grove machinery and equipment on display.

1933 - President-Elect Franklin Delano Roosevelt narrowly escaped an assassination attempt shortly after giving a speech at Bayfront Park in Miami on this date. The would-be assassin, Guiseppe Zangara, an Italian immigrant and unemployed bricklayer, fired 5 shots towards Roosevelt who was standing on stage, fatally wounding the Mayor of Chicago Anton Cermak and injuring four others. Zangara was wrestled to the ground, arrested, and found guilty of murder, receiving the death penalty at Raiford Prison in Union County on March 20^th of the same year.

1973 – Richard Petty won his third Daytona 500 race on this date. He was the first driver to win the event three times and is one of only two drivers to win seven NASCAR championships during his career. The Daytona 500 race officially began in 1959, although racing has been a part of Daytona and Ormond Beach history since the early 20^th century when drivers raced largely experimental vehicles along the hard-packed beaches of Daytona and Ormond, and also broke many early land speed records.

1912 – The first Rotary Club in Florida was formed in Jacksonville at the Windsor Hotel on this date. The stated purpose of the Rotary International Club is to ,”bring together business and professional leaders, in order to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help bring goodwill and peace in the world.” The first club was organized in 1905 in Chicago by attorney Paul P. Harris. Harris had moved to Jacksonville in 1894, and it was because of his relationship with businessmen in the city, particularly granite company owner George W.