Florida Factoid Friday

First built in 1833, relocated in 1852,

the Cape St. George Lighthouse collapsed

into the Gulf of Mexico on 22 October 2005.

Volunteers rebuilt and, again, relocated the structure.

The restored lighthouse reopened in 2008.

Florida Factoid Friday

The tiny island town of Cedar Key, once the western rail head of Florida's first cross state rail line, is the number one producer of littleneck clams in the US. The salt water estuary provides ideal conditions for their growth.

Florida Factoid Friday

In the Fakahatchee Strand, near Copeland, grows the largest concentration and variety of orchids in North America. With 44 native orchids and 14 native bromeliad species, it is the orchid and bromeliad capital of the continent. The ecosystem of the Fakahatchee Strand is the only place in the world where bald cypress trees and royal palms share the forest canopy.

Florida Factoid Friday

The world's largest climate simulator, McKinley Climatic Laboratory, is at Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso. The facility, which can create a variety of climates, has been the government's primary indoor weather testing center since opening in 1947.

Florida Factoid Friday - MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

25 December 1539* - The first Christmas service in the present-day United States is believed to be a Catholic Mass offered by priests of Hernando de Soto's expedition exploring in the vicinity of Tallahassee.

'Discovery of 16th century Spanish artifacts solved the hotly debated historical issue of where our first Christmas was celebrated,' said Dr. Jerald T. Milanich, curator in archaeology at the Florida Museum of Natural History. 'Florida's capital city -- Tallahassee -- is without a doubt the place of humble prestige.'

Tangible evidence recently unearthed -- the oldest copper coins in the United States, remnants of Spanish armor and a crossbow tip -- has led to the official identification of an area less than a mile from Florida's Capitol complex as site of the first Christmas.

*Some think it was more likely 4 January.

Florida Factoid Friday

The world's largest bowling pin, 30 feet high, stands in front of Splitsville, an upscale bowling alley/restaurant in Tampa.

Florida Factoid Friday

Opened in 1967, Lion Country Safari - in Loxahatchee - was America’s first drive-through cageless zoo.

Today, Lion Country Safari is home to over 900 animals in the drive-through preserve and in the Safari World exhibit area. Among the more notable species on display at the park are lions, white rhino, chimpanzees, zebra, and giraffe.

Florida Factoid Friday

Baseball player Jay Stuart Bell, born in 1965 at Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso, hit a home run the first time he stepped up to the bat in the major leagues in 1986 with the Cleveland Indians. Jay, who received a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger Award in 1993, ranks #46 among the Top 50 all-time at SS. He later played for, then coached, the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Florida Factoid Friday

In the 1960s, the National Association of Letter Carriers created the retirement community of Nalcrest (think about it) with affordable housing for its members. The Polk County community is home to more than 500 retired letter carriers.

Florida Factoid Friday

For several years, an unfinished replica of the Scooby Doo van has been sitting in front of a North Miami Beach restaurant. Ham and Eggery's reviews are mixed, so I reckon it's all a matter of taste. 8-]

Florida Factoid Friday

In June of 1942, four German saboteurs landed on Ponte Vedra Beach. They brought ashore enough explosives, primers, and incendiaries to carry out their 2-year plan. All four, along with another group in NY, were quickly apprehended and the Germans never made another such attempt. The FBI was able to track them down so quickly because a member of the NY team convinced his partner to give up the plan and defect. Did he get cold feet or had he planned the double-cross from the start?

Florida Factoid Friday

Kudzu was first promoted in America in the 1920s by Charles and Lillie Pleas of Chipley, FL. The Pleases touted it as an anti-erosion, high-protein forage plant. The Asian vine, a gift from Japan, grows a foot per day during the summer.

Florida Factoid Friday

Jacqueline Cochran was the first woman to break the sound barrier, the first woman to fly a bomber across the Atlantic and the first female pilot to fly a jet across an ocean. Jackie set more speed records than any other pilot, male or female, of her time. She won 15 Harmon Trophies for her exceptional skills as a woman pilot. She made notable contributions to the formation of the wartime Women's Auxiliary Army Camps and the Women Air force Service Pilots. Jackie was born in Muscogee, FL.

Google this gal and find out more about her amazing accomplishments!
Each entry I read mentioned another first.

Florida Factoid Friday

Wallace and Margarita Reyes supervised the rolling of the world’s longest cigar — 196.3 feet—at the Cigar Heritage Festival in Tampa last November.

Florida Factoid Friday

Ed Frank of Naples, using parts from a Model-T Ford and a World War I airplane, built the first swamp buggy about 1919 to navigate the Everglades.

L-R: Paul Frank, Henry Espenlaub, Ed Frank, Roy Smith
photo credit and more

Florida Factoid Friday

At the time of her death in January, 2010, Dorothy Geeben was the oldest mayor in the US. She presided over the city of Ocean Breeze Park for the last 9 years of her life. She was approaching her 102nd birthday.

Florida Factoid Friday

Fort Jefferson at Dry Tortugas National Park, on the Dry Tortugas islands west of Key West, is the largest brick fort in the Western Hemisphere. (It was built with more than 16 million bricks!) The fort’s walls are 8 feet thick and about 45 feet high.

Florida Factoid Friday

New Smyrna Beach, in Volusia County, was founded in the late 1700s by Andrew Turnbull. The Scottish doctor named the community in honor of Smyrna, Greece, his wife's home.

Florida Factoid Friday

America's first man-made land bridge, opened in 2000, connects trails on the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway across six lanes of Interstate 75 near Ocala. The bridge is 52 feet wide, 200 feet long, and landscaped with trees and other natural vegetation.

Florida Factoid Friday

Donald Roebling, grandson of the designer and builder of the Brooklyn Bridge, developed the 'Alligator' in Clearwater. Originally intended for rescue of hurricane victims, the amphibious vehicle caught the attention of the US Marine Corps and was modified - and renamed LVT (Landing Vehicle, Tracked) - as ship-to-shore transport during WWII. Actual construction was subcontracted to a plant in Dunedin.