In the Sunshine State on this day in 1822 the City of Pensacola was incorporated by the Territorial government of Florida.

In 1844 Hamilton Disston, financier, was born this day. Disston, whose purchase of 6,250 square miles (4,000,000 acres) of public land for $1 million, prevented the state of Florida from having to declare bankruptcy in 1881. The entrepreneur tried to drain the “swamps and overflowed lands” he had purchased and made remarkable progress until he was caught short of cash in the Panic of ‘93. Depressed, Disston committed suicide that year.

In 1851a tropical storm with high winds severely damages the tin roof of the capitol building in Tallahassee.

In 1992 Hurricane Andrew reached classification as a Category 4 hurricane today. Located about 300 miles east of Miami in the early morning hours, the hurricane continued to build in intensity. By 2:00 p.m., winds reached 150 mph. Hurricane warnings/watches were posted along Florida’s east coast from Key West to Jacksonville and as far north as Ft. Myers on the west coast. Weather experts predicted that the hurricane would come ashore near Miami early on August 24.