In 1513,Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon 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.