How soon after being sentenced to death for the assassination of Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was Giuseppe Zangara executed?

(Zangara, 1933. Credit HistoryMiami, 1997-402-2)

On February 15th, 1933, amid a crowd assembled at Bayfront Park to hear Franklin D. Roosevelt speak, Giuseppe Zangara augmented his five foot frame by standing on his toes atop a metal chair, with the intention of assassinating the President-Elect. Using a .32 caliber revolver, Zangara got off five shots, although, after the first discharge, quick witted bystanders grabbed his arm and forced it upwards, almost certainly saving Roosevelt's life. Zangara continued to fire, however, wounding five people, including Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak. Hustled off to jail, Zangara was judged sane by a special commission, in spite of the fact his hatred for kings, presidents and other political leaders was based, not on anarchist antipathy for political authority, but on his chronic abdominal pain which he believed such authorities engendered. Originally sentenced to 80 years in prison, Zangara was subsequently arraigned on charges of murder, after Mayor Cermak died of his wound. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to death by Circuit Court Judge Uly O. Thompson.

Answer: Less than two weeks.

 

In what part of Miami did most of the training in WWII take place?

 

(Officer candidates standing at attention, facing a hotel swimming pool, ca 1942.  Credit: HistoryMiami)

During World War II the United States used Miami as a major training location for troops.  The military chose Miami because of its warm temperatures all year long, lending itself to a full year of training. 

 A: Miami Beach

In 1962, Florida was the scene for a “build-up” of our nation’s armed forces, due to a crisis with the USSR over missile bases in what country?

 

(US Missile Base, Everglades, FL ca.1964, Credit: HistoryMiami)

In 1917 Russia changed from an imperial government to a communist government.  From that point on relations between the United States and the newly named USSR were tense.  After WWII tensions mounted to become what we now call the Cold War.

 

A. Cuba

What was Marjory Stoneman Douglas’s book about?

 

(Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Credit: HistoryMiami)

A Florida writer, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, wrote about the greatest expanse of sawgrass on earth.  It has also been called the widest, shallowest, and strangest river in America.  Her efforts also have been essential in the conservation of this area.

 

a. The Everglades

When did the Second Seminole War begin?

 

(Apauly-Tustennuggee, ca. 1843, credit: HistoryMiami)

In 1830 President Andrew Jackson signed a law that became known as the Indian Removal Act.  The law required all Native Americans living east of the Mississippi River to move to Oklahoma.  This law affected the Seminole living here in South Florida, many of whom decided to fight back.  The fight between the Seminole and the United States government became known as the Seminole Wars.

 

A: 1835

What was the name of the French fort in Northern Florida

 
(Fort __________, ca.1591 .  Credit: HistoryMiami)

In 1564 a Huguenot fort was established in Northern Florida.  When the Spanish king learned the French had settled in Florida he sent Pedro Menendez to reclaim Florida for Spain.  When Menendez arrived he killed the French, and created a permanent settlement for Spain.

 

A. Ft Caroline

What was the name of the French fort in Northern Florida

 
(Fort __________, ca.1591 .  Credit: HistoryMiami)

In 1564 a Huguenot fort was established in Northern Florida.  When the Spanish king learned the French had settled in Florida he sent Pedro Menendez to reclaim Florida for Spain.  When Menendez arrived he killed the French, and created a permanent settlement for Spain.

Why did people use smudge pots under their tables?

(Fire at a pioneer house, South Florida, ca. 1880s, Credit: HistoryMiami)

When people first started to settle in Miami air conditioning had not been invented.  In order to keep cool during the hot summers people would need to open all the doors and windows.  The early settlers would also need to use smudge pots under their dining room tables.

 

A: To keep the mosquitos away.

What year did a hurricane destroy Henry Flagler’s Rail Road to the Keys?

(Rail road without tracks, Florida Keys, ca. _____, Credit: HistoryMiami)

Hurricanes form in the warm water off the coast of Africa and move west across the Atlantic Ocean.  Because of Florida’s geographic location the state can be in the path of these storms.  More powerful hurricanes can produce large storm surges and winds over 100mph, destroying everything in its path.

A: 1935

What port city did many United States troops, including future president Theodore Roosevelt, depart for duty in Cuba from?

 

(Rough Riders encamped at San Juan Hill, San Juan, Cuba, ca. 1898, credit: HistoryMiami)

In 1898 the United States went to war with Spain.  The United States had joined the fight against Spain in Cuba, in Cuba’s fight for independence.  At the time Florida was known for its connections to Cuba, and it was also the closest state to the fighting.  Therefore, Florida became a staging area for many troops leaving for Cuba.

A: Tampa