The indigenous people of the Everglades region arrived in the Florida peninsula approximately 15,000 years ago, probably following large game. The Paleo-Indians found an arid landscape that supported plants and animals adapted to desert conditions. Climate changes 6,500 years ago brought a wetter landscape, and the Paleo-Indians slowly adapted to the new conditions. Archaeologists call the cultures that resulted from the adaptations Archaic peoples, from whom two major tribes emerged in the area: the Calusa and the Tequesta. The earliest written descriptions of these people come from Spanish explorers who sought to convert and conquer them. After more than 200 years of relations with the Spanish, both indigenous societies lost cohesiveness. Official records indicate that survivors of war and disease were transported to Havana in the late 18th century. Isolated groups may have been assimilated into the Seminole nation, which formed in northern Florida when a band of Creeks consolidated surviving members of pre-Columbian societies in Florida into their own to become a distinct tribe. Seminoles were forced into the Everglades by the U.S. military during the Seminole Wars from 1835 to 1842. The U.S. military pursued the Seminoles into the region, which resulted in some of the first recorded explorations of much of the area. Seminoles continue to live in the Everglades region, and support themselves with casino gaming on six reservations located throughout the state.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_people_of_the_Everglades_region

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1499:

Thirteen-year-old Catherine of Aragon, the future first wife of Henry VIII of England, was married by proxy to his brother, 15-year-old Arthur, Prince of Wales (pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Aragon

1780:

A combination of thick smoke, fog, and heavy cloud cover caused darkness to fall on parts of Canada and the New England area of the United States by noon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England%27s_Dark_Day

1817:

The Articles of Association of the Bank of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada's oldest chartered bank, were adopted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_Montreal

1962:

During a televised birthday celebration for U.S. President John F. Kennedy at New York City's Madison Square Garden, actress and model Marilyn Monroe performed her infamous rendition of "Happy Birthday to You". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Birthday,_Mr._President

1991:

Despite a boycott by the local Serb population, voters in Croatia passed a referendum supporting independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatian_independence_referendum,_1991

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

front runner: (idiomatic) The most likely winners in a contest, election, etc. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/front_runner

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I have found out that the real essentials of greatness in men are not written in books, nor can they be found in the schools, They are written into the inner consciousness of everyone who intensely searches for perfection in creative achievement and are understandable to such men only. --Walter Russell https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Walter_Russell