History

Spanish influence in Florida likely dates back to 1513 when Juan Ponce de León landed in what is now St. Augustine and named the peninsula “La Florida.”

Columbia Restaurant, the oldest eatery in Florida, was founded by a Cuban immigrant who arrived in Ybor City with his wife and four sons around 1900.

In the 1940s a spare room on the fifth floor of the United States Supreme Court building was converted to a workout area.

Elder Jordan, a local African American entrepreneur in St. Petersburg, built the 12,000-square-foot, two-story Manhattan Casino, a dance hall that opened in 1931.

In 1949, women were allowed to volunteer for jury service; however, only a few registered and the juries remained largely male.

Gulfport’s Peter Hargitai of Hungary was Tampa Bay’s first poet laureate in 2015, a role championed by the Gulfport Public Library’s Circle of Friends.

Clara C. Frye, born in Tampa, trained to become a nurse in Alabama, then moved back to her hometown in 1901.

The extravagant Tampa Bay Hotel cost developers over $2 million to construct and almost $500,000 to furnish when it was completed in 1891.

As Groundhog Day approaches on Thursday, Feb.2, Americans anticipate this year’s predictions.

Fourteen reindeer and one caribou brought cheer during the Cold War days in Operation Reindeer.

At least 55 people are still buried at the corner of Holt Avenue and Engman Street, the site of a historic Black cemetery.

Hyde Park Preservation Inc. (HPPI) has announced its first ever historical homes garden tour, the Old Hyde Park Garden Tour.

The historic John C. Williams House on the USF St. Petersburg campus will undergo major restorations and upgrades over the next two years thanks to a $280,640 matching grant from the Florida Division of Historical Resources.

More than a century ago, the Tampa Bay Hurricane of 1921 made landfall in Tarpon Springs as a Category 3.

Does your family buy new outfits for Easter? An old superstition says that if you wear new clothing on Easter, you will have good luck for the year.

In celebrating Women’s History Month, here are some incredible leaders doing amazing things, who lead from the front or from behind the scenes in The OJT 100 market.

A new documentary offers a living testimony to the Black community of Zephyrhills, Florida.

For a Valentine’s Day cliché, the history of conversation hearts is surprisingly interesting.

Gasparilla season is upon us, as the pirate-themed festivities prepare for its first year back after last years’ COVID-19 cancelations.

Henry B. Plant opened the Tampa Bay Hotel nearly 141 years ago, and through more than a century’s worth of economic development, it remains one of Tampa’s most recognizable structures.

The White House now decorates 41 trees, with 25 classic wreaths adoring the north and south facades. It takes over 100 dedicated volunteers working a full week to decorate the inside and outside of the White House. 

A common myth about Daylight Saving Time is that farmers advocated for the implementation of the practice, but in reality, the shift gave them less time to get their crops to market.

“Sticks of Fire” sounds like a fun slogan for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the phrase and the team’s name are actually related to the Tampa Bay area in a different way.

The city of Tampa may be turning 134 years old, but it never looked so good. Tampa celebrates its birthday on July 15, the date it incorporated in 1887.  

July is Park and Recreation Month, so park and recreation agencies and their communities are encouraged to share experiences from local parks all month-long.

Did you know the U.S.

“Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1861 poem about Paul Revere’s ride got some facts wrong, according to the History Channel.

A century ago, the Tampa Bay Hurricane of 1921 made landfall in Tarpon Springs as a Category 3.

The 4th of July could have been the 2nd of July.

The Valspar Championship has a long history of supporting Tampa Bay area charities, generating more than $45 million in contributions throughout its 40-year history.