A Concise History of Florida (Brief History) - Softcover

In 1513,Spanish explorer Ponce de León first set foot on Florida’s east coast. The landhe discovered was a geographic anomaly so distinctive that astronaut NeilArmstrong said Florida was the first shape onearth he recognized on his return from a visit to the moon 456 yearslater. This unique state witnessed momentous events from the 1959 arrival ofthe first Cuban exiles under Fidel Castro to the 1981 launch of the Columbia, the first space shuttle. Joinauthor and historian James C. Clark as he chronicles the history of theSunshine State in this concise and captivating history.

James Clark was born in Washington, D.C. He began his journalism career with ABC News in Washington as a copyboy before joining United Press International as a reporter. He worked for the Columbia (S.C.) "Record", "Tampa Tribune", "Orlando Sentinel", "Raleigh News & Observer" and for the Associated Press in Charlotte and Philadelphia. He has been honored with the George Polk Award, Numerous awards from the Florida Society of Newspaper Editor, The Gerald Loeb Award and the Sigma Delta Chi Award. He is the author of six books, including the three volumes of the "Pineapple Anthology of Florida Writers". He is a history lecturer at the University of Central Florida.