1. In 1817, Seminole Indian Chief Neamathla signed a peace treaty with the United States government in Pensacola. The treaty did not last long and tensions between the Seminole and the government escalated.

2. In 1842, a group of South Florida settlers formed the Brooksville Guards to protect against attacks by Seminole Indians during the Second Seminole War.

3. In 1857, the first passenger train arrived in Jacksonville, marking the beginning of railroad transportation in Florida.

4. In 1961, Leonard C. Klatt, a 25-year-old Tampa resident, made history by becoming the first person to swim the 24.5-mile length of Tampa Bay.

5. In 1979, Orlando became the first city in the United States to use a centrally controlled, computerized traffic management system to regulate its traffic lights. The system was designed to ease congestion and improve traffic flow.