Decade

Record Stores

Not long ago, 45-inch singles and 12-inch LPs sporting beautiful artwork and superb liner notes were the norm. South Florida music fans would faithfully visit their favorite record stores to discover the next Pink Floyd and find rare, out-of-print treasures. South Florida still houses a few audiophile havens including Sweat Records, Yesterday and Today Records, […]

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Chilly Cheesecake

While a Miami Beach photographer shot pictures, the girls lolled on the sand in their swimsuits, smiled, decorated the lifeguard boat, smiled, read big black headlines in the New York papers about “Bitter Cold In Storm’s Wake” and “Deep Freeze Hangs On,” smiled and acted warm. Then they confessed. Said Adrienne Bourbeau: “Not that I’m […]

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Diners and delis

The last blue plate specials may have been served quite a while ago at some of these diners but they were beloved in their day.  Wolfie’s, a Miami Beach landmark for a half-century,  served a slew of famous — and infamous — patrons. Meyer Lansky, Muhammad Ali, Deion Sanders and Liza Minnelli enjoyed the overstuffed […]

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Elvis in Miami

Thousands of screaming, weeping teenagers mobbed the downtown Miami FEC station to welcome back the singer-turned-sergeant-turned civilian.

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Miami Marine Stadium

Miami Marine Stadium, an architectural gem on Biscayne Bay that opened in 1963 and closed in 1992 after Hurricane Andrew, was a popular venue for speedboat races and concerts. A long-running campaign to reopen it has raised millions of dollars.

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Dade County Youth Fair

Back in 1952, the Dade County Fair was a four-day event that featured mom-and-pop concession stands. Over the years, it grew into a much larger annual event including carnival rides.

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Gay Rights in Miami

The issue of gay rights grew into a national story in Miami on Jan. 18,1977 when a throng of conservatives — led by entertainer and Florida orange juice spokeswoman Anita Bryant — packed Miami-Dade County’s commission chambers to protest the potential passage of a gay rights ordinance. As a heated debate took place inside the downtown […]

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Muhammad Ali

Ferdie Pacheco – Ali’s longtime fight doctor and friend- once said, “Cassius Clay was born in Louisville, but Muhammad Ali was born in Miami.” Cassius Clay arrived in Miami in the winter of 1960, fresh from winning a gold medal at the Rome Olympics. He trained at the legendary Fifth Street Gym for his heavyweight […]

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Loop Road

Loop Road, cut in 1928, is 24 miles long, starting in western Miami-Dade County at the Tamiami Trail and winding westward through the Big Cypress Swamp. 

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Gambling, bookies and bolita

Legal and illegal gambling has long been a part of Florida.

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