September 23, 1986
The thousand or so employees laid off from Kennedy Space Center came trickling into the unemployment in Cocoa.
They were filing claims for unemployment pay, after being laid off four days earlier.
It was part of massive staff changes at the center.
Many of those left out of work had spent more than 20 years in the space field.
That is because the then Herndon International Airport didn't have long enough runways for bigger planes.
Today, McCoy Air Force Base is better known as the Orlando International Airport.
September 24, 1999
The Space Shuttle Columbia left Kennedy Space Center on a new mission, but it wasn't headed to space.
The oldest shuttle in NASA's fleet was loaded onto a 747 jumbo jet and piggy backed to California for an extensive overhaul.
More than 100 modifications were made to Columbia, and it was the fourth major overhaul since the orbiters first flight in 1981.
The shuttle's final mission would be in February 2003 when Columbia broke up during re-entry, killing all seven on board.
September 25, 1998
Hurricane Georges moved in on Florida with winds of over 100 miles per hour.
The Florida Keys were the first to get hit, forcing millions to flee inland and towards Central Florida.
Hotels and emergency shelters were overwhelmed and flights out of Orlando International Airport to South Florida were cancelled.
Central Florida was spared a direct hit from Georges, but the area did get heavy rain, which caused flooding in some neighborhoods in Brevard and Osceola counties.
September 26, 1985
Kalina the killer whale was born at SeaWorld Orlando.
Kalina was the first killer whale ever to be born in captivity.
Kalina weighted a healthy 350 pounds when she was born and became part of the Shamu attraction at the park.
Kalina made history again in June 1999 when she gave birth to her first calf.
September 27, 1990
Kissimmee Mayor Bruce Van Meter presented former President Ronald Regan with the key to the city.
America's first actor-turned president was only in Osceola County briefly, stopping by on his way to a fundraiser for then governor Bob Martinez.
A crowd of about 60 cheered on as Regan was presented with the memento.
The former president said he would put the key in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.
September 28, 1985
The Atlas Centraur blasted into the twilight sky on its last commercial chore for NASA.
With a communications satellite in tow, liftoff at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station marked the 65th launch of the booster that had served the space agency for 23 years.
Its NASA workdays came to an end because the space agency turned the program over to private industry.
However, three more Atlas Centaurs carrying military satellites were launched before the rocket was retired for good.
September 29, 1942
Bill Nelson was born in Miami.
He would graduate from Yale University and the University of Virginia Law School in the 60s.
After serving in the Vietnam War, Nelson would go on to be elected to the U.S. House.
During his congressional service, Nelson was a strong proponent of the American Space Program, and eventually became the first member of Congress to journey into space aboard a shuttle.
Nelson now serves Florida as a member of the U.S. Senate.