The University of South Florida in Hillsborough County officially welcomed its first class on September 26, 1960. Students began their studies on a former World War II airfield site called Henderson Field. A grand opening ceremony marked the start of classes outside the John and Grace Allen Building. @USouthFlorida became the first major state university planned and built from the ground up in the 20th century. Photo: @FLMemory, floridamemory.com/items/show…

Are you ready to Rock? Today is National Rock and Roll Day, and some of the biggest names in Rock and Roll hail from the sunshine state, including Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tom petty and the Heartbreakers, and the Eagles. Rock on with this link, detailing more of our state’s contributions to one of the most prolific music genres in history. floridamusictours.com/music-… Photo credit: Gerber, Harmony. Photo-Grafitti. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Fonda Theater, Los Angeles, CA, 2014. Licensed under Creative Commons. @CultureBuildsFL

How well do you know your Florida history? You can find out with The Florida Memory Timeline Challenge – a brand-new interactive feature from Florida Memory! As we celebrate America250FL, @FLMemory and the State Archives of Florida invite you to test your knowledge of American Revolution History by sorting a series of cards featuring historical events, figures and documents in their correct chronological order. Of course, Florida has been writing its own unique chapter in American History long before 1776, and the Florida Memory Timeline Challenge covers all of Florida’s history, from its earliest inhabitants all the way through the 21st century. The challenge features over 200 events across numerous categories. Florida Memory Timeline Challenge: floridamemory.com/learn/clas…

Built in 1841, Florida’s oldest surviving bank building, Union Bank originally opened as a “planter’s bank” during the antebellum period and then became home to the National Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company following Emancipation. Today, you can visit Union Bank Museum in Tallahassee. It’s open Friday and Saturday or check out the online Union Bank Exhibit here: museumoffloridahistory.com/v…

The passion flower is a beautiful native Florida vine that starts blooming in spring and attracts several species of butterfly. It gets its name from Spanish missionaries who saw the flower as symbolic of the passion narrative of Jesus. Photo: Beckett, Ward. Legend of the Passion-flower. 20th century. State Archives of Florida, @FLMemory

We’re kicking off the first day of spring with a look back at this depression-era citrus label from the Bell Fruit Company, Inc. of Brooksville, Florida. Citrus labels were used in Florida from the late 1800s until the early 1960s, but their “golden era” dates from 1900 to 1939. Learn more about the citrus industry in Florida here: dos.fl.gov/historical/museum… @FLMemory @America250FL @OJfromFlorida

#DYK? The City of Fernandina Beach was founded by the Spanish in 1811, and was the last city platted by the Spanish in the Western Hemisphere. This map shows Fernandina’s original layout before Florida was transferred to the United States in 1821. This 1937 map of Fernandina by Franz and Maria Copella Dollheimer was created using documentation and data from the State Archives of Florida. Today, it is beautifully preserved and digitized for detailed viewing on @FLMemory: floridamemory.com/items/show… @MyCOFB @America250FL

Happy National Pizza Day! A slice of history: Florida once held the title of world’s largest pizza. The record was set in 1987 by Tallahassee restaurateur, Lorenzo Amato. The 100 ft. pizza required 7 tons of flour, 1,000 gallons of water, 500 gallons of tomato sauce,1 ton of cheese, and 1 ton of pepperoni. It made 94,000 slices. Amato charged $1 per slice and donated the proceeds to charity. More here: floridamemory.com/items/show… @FLMemory