In the early-morning hours of March 28, 1966, a portly, graying gunman broke into the Surfside house that 17-year-old Danny Goldman shared with his mother and father. The gunman bound Danny’s parents and demanded $10,000 cash; when no money was found, the attacker left with Danny, threatening to kill the teen if the Goldmans didn’t […]
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1969 marked the most monumental science and technology project in history – a bold crusade inspired by President Kennedy, fueled by $25 billion and joined by 390,000 American workers – climaxed with the first landing on the moon. The Miami Herald, in anticipation of this historic moment, ran a special section detailing every aspect of […]
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It started on April 17, 1961. The soldiers of Brigade 2506 were Cuban exiles fighting to rid their land of Communist domination. They had the political and military support, they thought, of the U.S. government. Fidel Castro’s days were numbered. The invasion ended in blood and confusion and the deepest despair a fighting force could […]
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Building your own bomb shelter was a Cold War-era survival tactic for thousands of families nationwide and in South Florida. Welcome to the late ’50s and early ’60s, when nuclear nervousness gave urgency to a trend that made headlines in 1961. Everyone was building a shelter — or should have been, according to the experts […]
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The Museum of Science and Natural History spread its welcome mat on September 25, 1960. Miamians stared open-mouthed and wide-eyed at exhibits like the 14-foot Kodiak bear; a giant globe in the lobby (originally built for Pan American Airlines); Seminole and Tequesta Indians scenes; and a planetarium. The museum, originally conceived in 1949 by The […]
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In 1965, the American Football League awarded an expansion franchise to Joe Robbie and television star Danny Thomas for $7.5 million. The naming of the franchise was left to the public. “Dolphins” was submitted by 622 entrants in a contest that attracted 19,843 entries.”The dolphin is one of the fastest and smartest creatures in the […]
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The Miami Beach Symphony — originally called Miami Civic Orchestra, an outgrowth of the Miami Beach Symphonette — was founded in 1955. The symphony gave full seasons of concerts, including summer “pops” series, in the Miami Beach Convention Hall, better known as the Jackie Gleason Theater, until 1983 when it was renamed the Greater Miami Symphony.
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South Beach, with its sexy, high-octane mix of leggy models, hot sun and neon lights, has seen its fortunes surge and recede over the years. While many of the notable Art Deco buildings that give the area its charm were constructed in the 1930s, the beach had a second heyday in the 1950s and ’60s, […]
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Built in 1957 to draw more business to Miami Beach, the convention center has served as the backdrop for some major moments in South Florida history, from political conventions and Miss Universe beauty pageants to a Billy Graham religious crusade and the 1964 fight between Cassius Clay (before he became Muhammad Ali) and Sonny Liston […]
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In 1960 Harold Glasser brought the Miss USA pageant to Miami Beach from Long Beach, Calif., where it was born. Miss Universe, a spin-off of the original pageant, came along. In 1971 the Miss USA and Miss Universe shows left Miami Beach after 11 straight years. While pageants have come and gone since then, for […]
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