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100 markster miami beach
100 markster miami beach












A week later, another U-boat would make a similar mistake, and by the end of June, Mexico declared war on the Axis Powers. Thirteen crew members died, and the rest were brought to Miami for treatment. At the time, Mexico was officially neutral. No, seriously, this was their official excuse. The Germans had mistaken the Mexican flag for the similar but distinct Italian flag. Turns out the ship was actually the Mexican SS Potrero del Llano. Its captain believed it was an Italian tanker in violation of international law and decided to sink it. The night of May 14, 1942, the German U-boat U-564 spotted a ship. While most of the fighting took place half a world a way, German U-boats were known to patrol the shores off major East Coast cities and occasionally try to sink Allied ships. Not many people remember Miami Beach being an active theater in the war, and technically it wasn't, but an attack just off its coast in 1942 might have been one of Germany's dumbest mistakes. Most know that Miami Beach was used as a training ground during World War II. The Time Germany Accidentally Forced Mexico Into WWII Just a few years ago, a group tied to Eastern European organized crime was busted in an elaborate scheme involving setting up fake nightclubs on Washington Avenue and using beautiful Estonian women to lure men in before drugging and robbing them. These days, Russian mobs are more likely to cause trouble and spice up nightlife. In his later years, he returned to town, moving to Hollywood and Hallandale Beach in the '50s and '60s before settling in a Collins Avenue condo, where he died in 1983 as an 80-year-old. Newton Lummus said after admitting he'd actually sold the gangster his house, proving that scummy real-estate development and politics have always been best friends in South Florida.) Meyer Lansky also had strong ties to Miami Beach, with casino interests in Florida dating back to the 1930s. ("Capone is no worse than a lot of others down here," then-Mayor J. Scarface himself, Al Capone, began wintering in Miami in 1927 and two years later bought a house on Palm Island even though residents voted to pass a resolution to ban the notorious criminal. OK, Miami Beach may not be Chicago when it comes to organized crime, but the Beach certainly played host to a number of notorious characters during the golden age of graft, which is no shock when you consider how many mobsters had ties to nearby Havana. Whether Miami Beach continues to remain real and inhabitable land in the face of threats from global warming and sea-level rise remains to be seen.

100 markster miami beach

To this day, the City of Miami Beach still has to dredge sand to fill its beaches because, again, it is not a naturally occurring geographical feature. This set the scene for Miami Beach being a land built on artificiality, the crazy ambitions of men seeking money and glamor, and the exploitation of cheap labor. Of course, laborers were subjected to high heat and mosquitoes. In Miami Beach, laborers had to clear out the mangroves, deepen the channels of water around it, and fill in the area with actual soil to create honest-to-not-God land. True, much of South Florida is built on drained swampland, but compared to the creation of Miami Beach, that was relatively easy. By 1915, the town would officially be incorporated, and Collins partnered with Carl Fisher and the banking Lummus brothers to turn the beach into an honest hunk of land.

100 markster miami beach

Collins bought the area and had more success growing crops, but that didn't mean it was anything more than a mangrove and some sand at that point. Henry and Charles didn't make very good Floridians.

100 markster miami beach

They tried to turn it into a coconut farm, but either rats or rabbits (depending upon which version you hear) ate the coconuts. New Jersey residents Henry Lum and son Charles decided to buy this sandbar for 25 cents an acre. In 1870, Miami Beach was a glorified sandbar and mangrove ridge. Throughout the vast majority of human existence, our species has been content with living on land that already exists and is readily inhabitable. Before we blow out those 100 candles on the Beach's cake, let's take a look at the lowlight reel.

100 markster miami beach

After all, not only the good times but also the tough times shape a place's character.Īnd Miami Beach has one hell of a history of crime, corruption, racism, economic downfall, and even a brush with war. But that isn't the only history that has made the Beach what it is today. You're sure to hear all about Miami Beach's proudest memories: the epic hotels, the unique architecture, the celebrities and creativity, and the unique culture. To celebrate its centennial, the city is throwing itself a grand, 100-hour celebration, and local media outlets are putting out nostalgic looks back at the Beach's finest moments. Exactly 100 years ago, March 26, 1915, the 33 registered voters of Miami Beach officially incorporated the new city.














100 markster miami beach