1. In 1941, just months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt inspected the Naval air station in Pensacola, Florida. The base served as a major training ground for Navy pilots during World War II and continues to operate today as the primary training facility for U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviators.
2. On June 23, 1961, NASA astronaut Virgil "Gus" Grissom became the second American to travel into space aboard the Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft atop a Mercury-Redstone rocket. The mission lasted just 15 minutes and ended in a near-disaster when the spacecraft's hatch prematurely opened upon splashdown, flooding the cabin and forcing Grissom to quickly escape.
3. In 1985, Hurricane Bob struck the Gulf Coast of Florida, causing widespread damage to the state's coastal communities. The storm ultimately caused over $700 million in damages and was responsible for six deaths.
4. In 2013, Florida State University quarterback Jameis Winston became the youngest player ever to win the Heisman Trophy, college football's most prestigious award. Winston led the Seminoles to an undefeated season and a national championship that year, cementing his place as one of the greatest quarterbacks in college football history.
5. On June 23, 2018, a gunman opened fire at a gaming tournament in Jacksonville, killing two people and injuring 10 others before taking his own life. The shooting resulted in renewed calls for gun control measures and spurred a national conversation about the role of violence in video games.
5 Fun Facts About June 23 In Florida History
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