History de MIAMI

The first traces of human activity can be found in South Florida, in the Miami region, where the indigenous Tequesta people settled around the Miami River. The name "Miami" is derived from the Amerindian "Mayaimi" meaning "fresh water".

The existence of Miami is officially attested only in the sixteenth century, when Juan Ponce de León (1460-1521), the former governor of Puerto Rico, who was part of the second voyage of Christopher Columbus, first visited Florida. In 1513, he arrived in Biscayne Bay. In his logbook, the explorer indicates that he reached Chequescha: this is the first recorded name of Miami. The territory had between 100,000 and 350,000 inhabitants from different tribes. The arrival of these first foreigners on Floridian soil led to the disappearance of the Indians who died of diseases new to them, including smallpox. The Tequesta became totally extinct in less than 300 years. The disputes between the Spanish, French and English concerned South Florida, and the Miami region remained untouched by the wars and revenge that they waged among themselves.

The Spanish launched a Christianization mission in Biscayne Bay, led by Father Joseph Xavier de Alaña. They built a fort and a church: the settlement was named Pueblo de Santa María de Loreto. Settlers built farms and houses near the Miami River. However, this new attempt at colonization on the outskirts of Miami ended in failure, and the settlements were soon abandoned.

In 1766, Samuel Touchett received parcels of land in the Miami area from the British government. The aim was to develop a colony. The project failed for lack of funds. In 1800, a new European colony was established in Miami, this time on the initiative of the Spaniard Pedro Fornells. Fornells himself was a former member of a previous colony at New Smyrna Beach. Pedro Fornells' colony was the first to survive.

The First Seminole War pits the United States against the Seminole Indians. It should be noted that the number of Amerindians declined drastically following the arrival of the Europeans. In the ^18th century, many of them were murdered or enslaved. This conflict broke out under the pretext of recapturing the black slaves who had taken refuge among the Amerindians. Two other Seminole wars followed.

Signing of the Treaty of Adams-Onís: the Spanish cede East Florida to the United States, which agrees to relinquish Texas in return. The treaty takes effect in 1821.

The United States merges East Florida (formerly Spanish Florida) with part of West Florida to officially create the Territory of Florida. The first governor of this new American territory was William Pope Duval. For the government, the presence of the Seminole population was seen as an obstacle. They were subsequently expelled.

The Second Seminole War pits the natives, who are resisting deportation, against the United States. Seminole chief Osceola, a leading figure in the struggle, was eventually captured by American troops, signaling the end of the war. The war was the most costly of the Indian Wars, and one of the longest fought by the United States. At the end of the war, almost all the Amerindians left Florida or were deported to present-day Oklahoma. Those who remained were granted the right to live on a new reservation in South Florida, until the Third Seminole War (1855-1858).

The village of Miami, founded by William English, became the county seat of Miami-Dade County, with a population of 90. Until then, the county seat had been Indian Key, in the Keys.

Florida is proclaimed the ^27th state of the United States. In 1838, the people of Florida voted in a referendum in favor of statehood. Congress finally validated this decision in 1845. Its first governor was William Dunn Moseley, elected in the state's first elections in May 1845. On July 4, a ^27th star was added to the American flag.

At the same time, Julia Tuttle, a wealthy entrepreneur, moved to the area and bought a lemon plantation. She believed in the town's potential, and from that moment on, she devoted herself entirely to its development. To many, she is considered the "Mother of Miami". Aided in her endeavors by another local pioneer, William Brickell, whose name a neighborhood still bears, they were instrumental in the project to link Miami to the rest of the United States by rail, by bringing the railroad here. The project was completed in 1896, thanks to the work of Henry Morrison Flagler. The Florida East Coast Railway was created.

Businessman William Brickell moves from Ohio to Florida, settling with his family south of the Miami River. He opened a post office and bought land. He is considered the co-founder of Miami, along with his neighbor and friend Julia Tuttle.

Miami officially becomes a municipality through the vote of its 300 residents. John Reilly is elected Miami's first mayor.

Convinced by Julia Tuttle, Henry Flagler, founder of the Florida East Coast Railway, extended his Jacksonville - Fort Lauderdale line to Miami. The arrival of this mode of transport had a lasting impact on the city, opening it up to tourism. Henry Flagler quickly built the first hotel in the new municipality of Miami, the Royal Palm Hotel, which opened its doors on January 16, 1897. Very modern for its time, it was equipped with a swimming pool and electric lighting (a first for the city).

John S. Collins recognized the potential of Miami Beach, which was then just a strip of sand facing the sea. He decided to grow avocados there. After a few setbacks, notably linked to the effect of salt on the plants, the results were promising, and Collins was able to ship carloads of the fruit. In 1912, the ingenious businessman decided to convert part of his estate into a residential area.

In the early 1920s, the population of Miami Beach was just 644. It was Carl Fisher, Collins' partner in the construction of the bridge linking Miami to Miami Beach, who used advertising to bring people to Miami Beach. He is also credited with inventing the one-piece swimsuit for promotional photos. By 1925, the population had risen to 2,342 and property values had increased tenfold. Miami and Florida continued to prosper, with gambling allowed and Prohibition not enforced, resulting in a further population explosion.

Miami's expansion is brutally halted by a tropical cyclone nicknamed "Great Miami". It devastated the region, claiming hundreds of lives. Thousands of South Floridians were left homeless and $100 million worth of damage was caused. Miami was partially destroyed.

After the hurricane, Miami Beach had to rebuild quickly. Art Deco, an artistic movement from France, was in vogue at the time, and a vast reconstruction program began that lasted until the eve of the Second World War. More than 800 buildings were constructed on Ocean Drive, Washington Avenue and Collins Avenue.

Even today, Miami Beach boasts the largest concentration of art-deco buildings in the world. Interestingly, most of these art-deco buildings were originally... white! Their characteristic pastel colors first appeared in the 1970s, when they were renovated. Designer Leonard Horowitz wanted to evoke the sky, the sun, the beach and the sea. This architectural style is known as Tropical Art Deco.

Miami is still licking its wounds as the Great Depression begins in the United States. The privileged real estate boom in which Florida had been progressing for three years came to a screeching halt. It would take South Florida 10 years to regain its economic dynamism.

With the end of the Depression, a small return to prosperity is observed. Americans wanted to indulge themselves, and money was spent on vacations. As a result, the largest number of building permits in Miami Beach's history was granted between 1936 and 1939.

With the United States entering the war, Florida became an essential link in the American military effort, and Miami Beach was transformed into a vast military base. Hotels were requisitioned and turned into dormitories and training grounds. Many Americans who had experienced the advantages of the climate and the sea emigrated to the island at the end of the war.

Fun fact: the first American sunscreen product was popularized in Miami, by Floridian pharmacist and aviator Benjamin Green. Red Vet Pet sunscreen was designed to protect American soldiers in the Pacific from the sun. This protection was later improved and marketed under the brand name Coppertone.

150 kilometers from Miami, Cuba, Fidel Castro overthrows President Fulgencio Batista and seizes power. Radicalization, nationalization and expropriation drive thousands of Cubans into exile in South Florida. Within a decade, 500,000 of them settled in Miami.

The aim of the operation was to land around 1,400 Cuban exiles in Cuba, trained by the CIA to overthrow Castro's government. The attack was supported by the United States, since Fidel Castro was pursuing an economic policy unfavorable to American interests and was drawing closer to the USSR.

The operation was a failure: the forces that landed were captured and Kennedy withdrew his support at the last moment. Castro gained in popularity with the Cubans, and tensions increased.

The Cuban government opens the port of Camarioca to all those wishing to leave the country. Faced with the dangerous conditions of the exodus, the United States and Cuba reach an agreement allowing Cubans to travel to Florida on charters chartered by the American government. These were the "Liberty flights". Some 300,000 Cubans found refuge in the United States between 1965 and 1973. Most of them settled in the Riverside neighborhood, later named Little Havana.

Miami Beach's popularity is declining, and the art-deco district and iconic South Beach hotels are threatened with destruction. This is where Barbara Capitman comes in: this fervent defender of heritage succeeds in having South Beach classified as a "historic preservation zone". With designer Leonard Horowitz (1945-1989), she founded the Miami Design Preservation League. Leonard Horowitz created a pastel color palette that was used in the renovation of South Beach hotels.

Mariel Exodus: Castro expels almost 125,000 Cubans considered counter-revolutionary. The refugees landed in Florida, most of them settling in Miami. The United States offered them political asylum.

Broadcast of the first season of Miami Vice. The TV show had a lasting impact on the city. All the locals agree: there was a before and after Sonny Crockett. When the team arrived, all they found were buildings that had been preserved from destruction, but were in poor condition. The series' creators decided to contribute financially to the renovation of some thirty art-deco buildings. The facades were tinted pastel and adorned with neon: tourists flocked in search of these famous hotels.

Opening of Metrorail, Florida's only subway system. Its two lines (orange and green) link the neighborhoods of Brickell and Downtown Miami with Coconut Grove and Coral Gables. The Metrorail also serves Miami airport.

It is also connected to the Metromover, the free automatic shuttle system running through Downtown Miami and Brickell.

To simplify traffic flow in the Downtown Miami and Brickell neighborhoods, the Metromover was created. Today, this automatic aerial shuttle consists of three lines serving 21 stations, over a total distance of 7 kilometers. Entirely free of charge, the Metromover is appreciated by locals and visitors alike, who can enjoy a unique view of the buildings.

Military coup in Haiti. Thousands of Haitians take refuge in Florida. Most of them are stopped in their tracks by the coast guard and sent back to Cuba.

Hurricane Andrews hits the United States. It hit Florida on August 24, 1992, with a diameter of around 800 km. It caused more than $20 billion in damage south of Miami-Dade County: 90% of homes lost their roofs.

A crime wave hits Miami, as gangs vie for control of the drug market. The city has become dangerous for tourists, and the state is tightening security drastically.

At the beginning of the ^21st century, real estate developer and arts patron Tony Goldman purchased a number of buildings and warehouses in the Wynwood district of Downtown. Sensing its potential, he invited artists from around the world to paint on its walls. Today, Wynwood is home to the largest concentration of street art in the United States.

On August 25, after a late warning, Category 1 Hurricane Katrina hit South Florida and Miami, with peak speeds of up to 190 km/h. It killed 14 people and left over 2 million without power. The hurricane continued on its way, gaining in strength and hitting the coast of New Orleans. 80% of the city was flooded.

Republican Tomás Regalado is the city's new mayor. Born in Cuba, he lived there until the age of 14, when he and his younger brother were transported to Miami in 1932 as part of Operation Peter Pan, which brought to Miami Cuban children whose parents were opposed to Castro's regime. He remained in office until 2017, when he was succeeded by his son, Republican Francis X. Suarez.

Joe Biden is elected President of the United States, succeeding Donald Trump. He takes a series of new measures, including easing restrictions on Cuba. Immigration and money transfer procedures are simplified, air links are strengthened and airlines can once again land at airports other than Havana. The embargo, which depends on the opinion of the US Supreme Court, is still in force.

As an unexpected consequence of Covid-19, South Florida - and Miami in particular - has welcomed many workers from California and New York who have come to take advantage of Covid-19's relatively flexible management, advantageous taxes and non-existent income tax, all coupled with an extremely pleasant living environment.

Opening of a high-speed rail link between Miami and Orlando stations with Brightline, via the South Florida Express line. Journey time: 3 hours. The aim is to develop transport links between South and Central Florida. The train serves Miami Biscayne, just a stone's throw from the Kaseya Center, as well as Aventura (north of Miami), Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and Orlando airport. An extension to Tampa is also planned.

Donald Trump is re-elected President of the United States, succeeding Joe Biden. Florida voted very clearly for the Republican candidate.