St. Petersburg History
The 1921 Tampa Bay Hurricane: When the Water Changed the Coast
On October 25, 1921, a powerful hurricane struck Florida’s Gulf Coast, bringing destructive winds and a storm surge that reshaped parts…
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Joe Maddon and the Rays’ Remarkable Rise
On October 24, 2014, Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon (pictured) announced he would leave the team after nine seasons, ending…
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The Legacy of Millard F. Caldwell
October 23, 1984, marked the passing of Millard Fillmore Caldwell, Florida’s twenty-ninth governor and a former chief justice of the Florida…
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The Legacy of Jay B. Starkey Jr.
On September 9, 2026, Pasco County lost a longtime rancher, conservationist, and community leader. Jay B. Starkey Jr., who spent much…
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The Capture of Osceola
On October 21, 1837, Seminole leader Osceola was captured near St. Augustine under a flag of truce, an event that became…
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Suzanne Benton: Expanding the Possibilities of Print
Suzanne Benton has spent her career exploring the relationship between art, storytelling, and human experience. A multidisciplinary artist, she has worked…
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The Day Gator Nation Was Born
On October 19, 1912, the Florida Gators faced the University of South Carolina in Gainesville in a game that would become…
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The Civil War Comes to Tampa Bay
On October 16, 1863, the American Civil War reached Tampa Bay in a coordinated Union Navy raid designed to disrupt Confederate…
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A Turning Point for Preservation
On October 15, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Historic Preservation Act into law, creating a national framework for…
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Before Yeager, There Was Florida
On October 14, 1947, Chuck Yeager made aviation history by becoming the first person to fly faster than the speed of…
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Sputnik and the Birth of Florida’s Space Age
Sputnik 1, the Soviet Union’s first artificial satellite, shocked the United States when it reached orbit on October 4, 1957. The…
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The Massacre at Matanzas
On October 12, 1565, one of the bloodiest episodes of early European colonization in Florida unfolded along an inlet south of…
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