20 Years ago

[Bobcat]

20 YEARS AGO

A mysterious boat operating off Marathon turned out to be a high-tech National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration survey vessel collecting information for a new nautical chart.

The Key West Chamber of Commerce endorsed the city's plan to borrow money to buy the Key West Bight property.

A man unhappy with a used car he purchased from an auto dealer returned the next day and attacked the salesman. He then left the car on the lot to be towed as abandoned.

50 YEARS AGO

The Coast Guard brought six Cuban refugees from Cay Sal after sinking a Cuban patrol boat. Two other members of their group had been wounded and flown to Miami

 

[Bobcat]

20 YEARS AGO

A Cuban exile paramilitary group claimed it attacked a Cuban hotel. The Cuban government protested to the U.S. Department of State that a high-speed boat had fired rifle shots at a Varadero Beach hotel.

 

[Bobcat]

50 YEARS AGO

The USS Grant County landed a self-supporting battalion of Marines on Trumbo Annex to add to an already growing military presence in the Keys.

The Soviet military build-up was continuing with an estimated 40 cargo ships landing in Cuba in the last month.

The Defense Department said the military build-up in Key West was a training exercise and had nothing to do with the Cuban situation.

 

[Bobcat]

20 Years Ago

The CIA revealed that it had 25 agents in Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

 

[Bobcat]

20 Years Ago

An ex-girlfriend found her former beau kissing another woman and poured beer over the couple. She left the bar but returned and punched the woman.

50 YEARS AGO

A crew spent the weekend building an elevated control tower at Key West International Airport and it was ready for operations.

The military buildup continued amid activity and rumors. Motels had been alerted to expect a number of people soon.

The Key West recreation department turned over Wickers Field to the Army to be used as a staging area.
Click Here!

 

[Bobcat]

20 YEARS AGO

Because of overcrowding and a court order, Monroe County released 133 inmates from the jail in September. Of the 133 released, 18 were charged with violent felonies.

A zoologist hacked his way through fallen mangroves on Key Largo after Hurricane Andrew to rescue the endangered Stock Island Tree snail from certain extinction.

The U.S. Customs Service questioned the military report on the MIG that landed undetected at the Naval Air Station in March 1991, and said a surprise attack from Cuba was possible.

50 YEARS AGO

President John F. Kennedy, in a national broadcast, ordered the Navy to place a quarantine on all shipping to Cuba and to stop all offensive weapons headed to the island.

The Naval Station was on high security, with newsmen prohibited to enter the base except as passengers on the Conch Train that was running as usual, touring the station.

An Army encampment on Grassy Key over the weekend moved, overnight, to Sugarloaf Key. On the bases, liberty had been restricted and leaves canceled.

 

[Bobcat]

50 YEARS AGO

Monroe County Civil Defense Director William W. Warner advised residents to stay calm and go about their daily lives and occupations in a normal manner and refuse to accept idle rumors.

The Navy blockade of Cuba was in place and a number of Soviet ships were heading to Cuba. First contact was expected at any time.

The Voice of America used Key West radio station WKWK on Oct. 22 to broadcast President Kennedy's speech to Cuba in Spanish.

The first ship from the blockade arrived at Naval Station Key West for fuel and supplies.

 

[Bobcat]

20 YEARS AGO

Retired State Rep. Joe Allen had joined "Justice in Taxation" in calling for a lawsuit against state and federal governments over unfair tax structures.

After watching for three hours and receiving "lap dances," the Key West Police Department arrested 13 nude dancers for lewd sex acts.

MARC House members hosted and played in a softball tournament with the Miami Dolphins' softball team.

50 YEARS AGO

Rear Adm. R.Y. McElroy, commander of the Naval Base, sent a letter to military dependents in the area telling them to remain calm and continue their daily work in light of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

A large Army contingent was to start down the Keys and establish defensive positions around the Lower Keys.

Heavy air traffic to NAS and Key West International Airport unloaded hundreds of Army soldiers and Marines.

 

[Bobcat]

50 YEARS AGO

The Naval Air Station was at maximum capacity, with fighters and bombers, and the military had taken over Key West International Airport for use by transport planes.

The Army Missile Battalion Headquarters took over the Casa Marina Hotel complex. The Army leased the property for one year with a 30-day cancellation clause.

The school system had lost 111 students as families were leaving town because of the war scare.

 

[Bobcat]

50 YEARS AGO

On the Cuban blockade, the USS Joseph P. Kennedy stopped and inspected a merchant ship on the way to Cuba and cleared it to continue its voyage.

NBC television's "Today Show" interviews showed the people of Key West were calm in the face of all the military action on the island.

Key West grocers reported there was no crisis food-buying, but a local gun dealer did report an increase in the sale of firearms.

 

[old377guy]

20 YEARS AGO

Retired State Rep. Joe Allen had joined "Justice in Taxation" in calling for a lawsuit against state and federal governments over unfair tax structures.

After watching for three hours and receiving "lap dances," the Key West Police Department arrested 13 nude dancers for lewd sex acts.

Good thing they took their time just to be REAL sure

 

[Bobcat]

:drool5:

 

[Bobcat]

50 YEARS AGO

President Kennedy later called this day the worst of the Cuban Missile Crisis. A U-2 was shot down over Cuba and the pilot killed; but Kennedy also received two positive messages from Khrushchev. He accepted the messages and ignored the loss of the U-2, marking the beginning of the end of the crisis.

Key West leased Wickers Field to the Army Corps of Engineers for $1 a year and had a request for a lease of Smathers Beach.



Local motel owners were reporting that most of the tourists did not leave and that newsmen and others arriving due to the blockade meant business was good.

 

[Bobcat]

50 YEARS AGO

President Kennedy told Soviet Premier Khrushchev they could negotiate a solution to the Cuban crisis if the missile sites were dismantled.

Southern Bell Telephone Co. sent 15 additional phone operators to Key West to handle the increase in long-distance calls because of the emergency.

The Pentagon announced that a dozen Soviet ships had turned back from the Navy blockade of Cuba.

The crisis did not prevent Miss Florida, Gloria Brody, from paying a visit to Key West and taking a tour.
Click Here!

 

[Bobcat]

20 Years Ago
In an interview, Cuban President Fidel Castro said he and the Russians were prepared to use tactical nuclear weapons to repel an invasion by the United States in 1962 during the Missile Crisis.

50 YEARS AGO

The Army installed a Hawk missile battery on Smathers Beach in clear view from on South Roosevelt Boulevard.

The Navy asked the Army Corps of Engineers to declare a restricted area of 100 yards around the naval property in the Lower Keys.

Military planes were watching Cuba for evidence that the Soviets were starting to dismantle their missile bases as agreed to with the president. The blockade ships remained in position but no other ships were approaching the line.

 

[Bobcat]

20 YEARS AGO

Chalk's International Airline, the largest seaplane airline in the world, was featuring a special flight over the "Devil's Triangle."

Monroe County officials said they planned to voluntarily reduce the number of female inmates in the jail rather than fight a contempt order by the Florida Justice Institute.

 

[Bobcat]

50 YEARS AGO

The Army rigged barbed wire around the HAWK missile site on Smathers Beach to keep curious civilians away.

Florida Governor Farris Bryant arrived to inspect the military build-up and talk to business leaders about the economic impact of the crisis on tourism.

 

[Ratickle]

I barely remember the missile mess. I do remember having to hide under the desks in school to practice surviving a nuclear bomb! Like that would work.....

 

[Bobcat]

I tried to find the original Civil Defense Poster from the 60's and the humorous one that came after..to no avail.









DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
---------------------

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CIVIL DEFENSE.

ON HEARING THE FIRST WARNING:

1. PROCEED TO THE NEAREST BUILDING.

2. STAY AWAY FROM LOOSE OBJECTS, AND DROP ALL GLASSES, BOOKS ETC. IN
YOUR HANDS.

3. REMOVE SHARP OBJECTS, SUCH AS PENCILS AND KEYS, FROM YOUR POCKETS.

4. LOOSEN YOUR NECKTIE, UNBUTTON YOUR COAT AND REMOVE RESTRICTIVE
ARTICLES OF CLOTHING.

5. REMOVE EYEGLASSES, EARRINGS, WATCHES AND OTHER JEWELRY.

6. UPON SEEING THE BRILLIANT FLASH OF A NUCLEAR EXPLOSION, BEND OVER
AND PLACE YOUR HEAD FIRMLY BETWEEN YOUR LEGS.

7. THEN KISS YOUR ASS GOODBYE.

 

[old377guy]

I barely remember the missile mess. I do remember having to hide under the desks in school to practice surviving a nuclear bomb! Like that would work.....

you were young then and still pretty dang young now