1873 – Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs became the Superintendent of Public Instruction on this date. Gibbs would serve in that post until his death on April 14, 1874. Gibbs was born free in Philadelphia on September 28, 1821 and was the third African American student to graduate from Dartmouth College in 1852 and the second to deliver a commencement address at any college in the country.  He later moved back to Philadelphia, becoming the pastor of the First African American Church and helped runaway slaves heading north, as well as supporting abolitionist movements.

1912 – The Overseas Railroad, the final link in the Florida East Coast Railway was completed on this date. The culmination of a decades-long vision of Standard Oil millionaire Henry Flagler, the Oversea Railroad stretch over 100 miles out into open ocean, connecting Key West with the Florida mainland. The project cost $430 million dollars and included some incredible feats of engineering, most notably a seven mile long span connecting Knight’s Key with Little Duck Key.

The Cold wave of January 1977 produced the only known snowfall in the Miami area of Florida and The Bahamas. It occurred following the passage of a strong cold front, in combination with a high pressure area situated over the Mississippi River Valley. As a result, cold air spewed across Florida, causing both snowfall and record low temperatures. Most notably, the weather system brought snow as far south as Homestead on January 19.  It has not snowed in South Florida since as of 2015. Additionally, snow was reported in Freeport on Grand Bahama.

1881 – Dr. John L. Crawford took the oath of office as Florida’s Secretary of State on this date. He would serve in that position for over 20 years until his death in 1902 at the age of 86. Crawford, originally from Greene County Georgia, was a member of the Second State Assembly in the 1840s, and would later serve as a State Senator for 16 years representing Wakulla County before assuming the office of the Secretary of State in 1881. His son, Henry Clay Crawford succeeded him and served as Secretary of State from 1902 to 1929.

1923 – American country music and western singer Ottis Dewey “Slim” Whitman was born in Tampa on this date. Whitman was known for his songwriting and his yodeling abilities. He preferred to write love songs and cover pop hits over traditional “down on your luck” country tunes, which became very popular overseas, especially England. It is purported that Whitman sold over 120 million records during his career. He spent most of his life on his estate just south of Orange Park in northeast Florida.

1929 – Hundreds gathered for the grand opening of the Southern Sugar Company’s new sugar mill in Clewiston on this date. The Southern Sugar Company had purchased land and equipment from the Pennsylvania Sugar Company (PENNSUCO) in the early 1920s and set up the mill in Clewiston on the north side of the Lake Okeechobee. By the late 1930's however, the Southern Sugar Corporation fell victim to the national economic depression and went bankrupt.

1856 – Six soldiers from the U.S. 2nd Calvary were ambushed by approximately 20 Seminole Indians outside of Fort Denaud on the Caloosahatchee River on this date. The small detachment was on a wood-cutting expedition outside the fort to help provide resources for the approximately 150 men stationed there. Only one soldier survived the skirmish. Fort Denaud was re-established in 1855 as a logistical hub in the third and final of the Seminole Wars.