CoolHistory
One Giant Leap, One Florida Connection
On July 20, 1969, millions of people around the world watched as Apollo 11 made history. After a four-day journey from…
Read moreAuthor Archives: Vanessa Wheeler
CoolHistory
The Woman Who Helped Shape Tampa Bay’s Printmaking Tradition
Long before Pinellas County became known for its thriving arts community, Polly Knipp Hill was helping shape its creative future.
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Remembering Guy Lombardo’s Port-O-Call
When Guy Lombardo’s Port-O-Call opened on Tierra Verde in 1962, it quickly became one of Florida’s most glamorous waterfront destinations. Developed…
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Bone Mizell: The Man Behind A Cracker Cowboy
Florida lost one of its most colorful folk heroes when Morgan Bonaparte “Bone” Mizell died at the age of 58 on…
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Captain Albert Berry’s Historic Leap
U.S. Army Captain Albert Berry made aviation history by completing the world’s first successful parachute jump from an airplane on March…
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Carl Crawford’s Unforgettable Night at the Trop
On July 13, 2004, Carl Crawford (pictured) delivered one of the greatest individual performances in Tampa Bay Devil Rays history. Facing…
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A Place for Movies, Music, and Community
On July 9, 1948, the Gulf Coast Amusement Company received approval to build the Royal Theater at 1102 22nd Street South.
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Florida’s Farewell to the Space Shuttle
On July 8, 2011, NASA’s Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on the STS-135 mission, marking the beginning…
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The Stories Hidden in Florida’s Place Names
Have you ever wondered why so many places across Florida have names unlike anywhere else in the United States? The answer…
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Celebrating Independence: Our Local History
Long before there was a St. Petersburg, and long before there was a United States, this peninsula was home to Indigenous…
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A Rock Legend’s Florida Roots
On July 3, 1971, rock singer Jim Morrison, frontman of The Doors and a native of Melbourne, Florida, died in Paris…
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The Road to the First American League Pennant
On July 2, 2008, Tropicana Field hosted one of the most anticipated games in Tampa Bay Rays history as the Rays…
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