1923 – American country music and western singer Ottis Dewey “Slim” Whitman was born in Tampa on this date. Whitman was known for his songwriting and his yodeling abilities. He preferred to write love songs and cover pop hits over traditional “down on your luck” country tunes, which became very popular overseas, especially England. It is purported that Whitman sold over 120 million records during his career. He spent most of his life on his estate just south of Orange Park in northeast Florida.

1929 – Hundreds gathered for the grand opening of the Southern Sugar Company’s new sugar mill in Clewiston on this date. The Southern Sugar Company had purchased land and equipment from the Pennsylvania Sugar Company (PENNSUCO) in the early 1920s and set up the mill in Clewiston on the north side of the Lake Okeechobee. By the late 1930's however, the Southern Sugar Corporation fell victim to the national economic depression and went bankrupt.

1856 – Six soldiers from the U.S. 2nd Calvary were ambushed by approximately 20 Seminole Indians outside of Fort Denaud on the Caloosahatchee River on this date. The small detachment was on a wood-cutting expedition outside the fort to help provide resources for the approximately 150 men stationed there. Only one soldier survived the skirmish. Fort Denaud was re-established in 1855 as a logistical hub in the third and final of the Seminole Wars.