The Treasure Coast – Today In Southern History
31 July 1715
31 July 1715
On this date in 1715…
A hurricane sank the Spanish treasure fleet in the Florida Straits off Vero Beach, Florida. The loss of the fleet set off a financial crisis in Europe similar to the Great Depression of the 1930’s. The large amounts of Spanish gold, silver, and jewels found along the Florida beach over the years from Sebastian Inlet to Port St. Lucie from this and other wrecks gives the area the name, the “Treasure Coast.”
Other Years:
1620 – The future Massachusetts Pilgrims departed Leiden, Netherlands, for England on their way to settle in Virginia colony. Their navigation was terrible.
1864 – The Battle of Sunshine Church near Round Oak, Georgia.
1955 WHIS TV channel 6 in Bluefield, West Virginia began broadcasts
1960 – Elijah Muhammad of Sandersville, GA, leader of the Nation of Islam, called for an independent black state to be carved out of the Southern states
1966 – Alabama protesters burned Beatle records and products due to John Lennon’s “Jesus” remark.
1969 – Elvis Presley performed a live concert for the first time since 1961 at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. It would be the first of his many performances delivered in Vegas.
1969 – The National Guard mobilized due to black rioting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
1983 – Brooks Robinson of Little Rock, Arkansas was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
1990 – Texas Rangers pitcher Nolan Ryan records his 300th career victory with an 11-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers
1993 – The Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts is arrested for shoving two cops
1997 – College football’s all-time winningest coach, Eddie Robinson, and his Grambling State University program are placed on two years’ probation for rules violations
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