2026 is the Orlando Sentinel’s 150th birthday and each month the Sentinel will be focusing one of Central Florida’s defining characteristics and how it’s been shaped over time. We’ll also be posting historical clippings from significant events each week and promoting special events tied to the anniversary.
Orlando Sentinel 150
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Orlando Sentinel 150: Panel tackles space past and future at Orlando Science Center
The event was part of the Orlando Sentinel's series of special events celebrating the paper's 150th anniversary.
Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of Astronaut John Young’s Orlando homecoming
Orlando celebrated its hometown astronaut John Young with a parade and medal ceremony after he...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of when interstellar Voyager 1 left Earth
It was 49 years ago on Labor Day that Voyager 1 began a journey that...
Orlando Sentinel 150: How Central Florida became ‘The gateway to the moon’
The birth of NASA and the rise of private space flight have transformed the region
Orlando Sentinel 150: Friday Flashback to 2 presidents, 1 game and a big cause
Former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton came to Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville.
Orlando Sentinel 150: Friday Flashback to Bob Graham’s ‘workdays’
It was a gimmick and brought Graham a lot of free publicity, but he maintained...
Pictures: Orlando Sentinel 150 employee reunion
Several hundred former and current Orlando Sentinel employees gathered at the Orange County Regional History Center...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Friday Flashback to ‘He-Coon’ Gov. Lawton Chiles
There hasn't been Democrat elected governor since Chiles won his second term in 1994, but...
Pictures: Orlando Sentinel 150 — Politics in Orlando panel discussion
Former Orange County mayors Linda Chapin and Teresa Jacobs; University of Central Florida Political Science...
Orlando Sentinel 150: When Orange County elected Linda Chapin its first ‘chairman’
Linda Chapin beat Tom Drage in a rancorous campaign that was, at that point, the...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Friday Flashback to Jimmy Carter’s theme park visits
President Jimmy Carter made history during one of his visits to Central Florida.
Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of Orlando’s gun-toting, hero mayor
One minute Orlando Mayor Bill Frederick was paying for his breakfast at Ronnie's Restaurant. The...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Central Florida’s major role in state, national politics
Central Florida was a battleground region for the White House for decades, with presidents and...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Friday Flashback to Orlando’s divisive traffic tower
Hailed as a great innovation when it debuted in 1925, it was later called "a...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of Orlando’s first skyscraper in 1923
On March 14, 1923, the public was invited to hotel's grand debut. The program started...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Friday Flashback to historic Beacham Theatre
The theater was built in 1921 by former Orlando mayor Braxton Beacham, a citrus baron,...
Pictures: Sentinel’s ‘History of Downtown Orlando’ forum
Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer and panelists answer questions during the "History of Downtown Orlando" forum...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of Orlando’s weirdest parade
In 1986, then-Orlando Sentinel columnist Bob Morris organized the weirdest parade in Orlando history –...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of Orlando’s ‘giant asparagus’ art
It was the talk of Orlando in 1992. It was called a pineapple, a giant...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Friday Flashback to Mmmm, Merita Bread sign!
The giant 18-foot tall and 30-foot wide neon-lighted Merita Bread sign which served as a...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of when Mrs. Liberty became a citizen
"I just know I belong here. I'm not visiting any more. This is my country....
Orlando Sentinel 150: After ups and downs, can Downtown Orlando rise again?
Historians fear explosive growth could endanger downtown buildings and landmarks — some of which date...
Orlando Sentinel 150: How Central Florida celebrated the U.S. Bicentennial
We look back at how Orlando and Central Florida celebrated America's last milestone anniversary: the...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Friday Flashback to July 4 parade in 1886
This Orlando parade photo, believed to be from 1886, is historic in several ways.
Orlando Sentinel 150: Our 1976 story of time capsule opened this week
We went into our archives and found the story we wrote about the time capsule...
Pictures: City of Orlando opens 1976 time capsule ahead of America’s 250th celebration
Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer and city commissioners open a 50-year-old time capsule at city hall...
Orlando cracks open five-decade-old time capsule for America’s 250th
The items, from when Gerald Ford was president, included a phone book, cassette tapes, and...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of Ben Franklin celebrating July 4 in Orlando
Over in Oviedo, Thomas Jefferson was at church and couldn't be reached for comment.
Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of Orlando wanting to be Florida’s capital
'This city is the most logical geographical location for the state capital,' the Sentinel said...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Friday Flashback to planes on Colonial Drive
Two small airplanes disrupted traffic when they went traveling down Colonial Drive in Orlando in...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Wild weather helped shape Central Florida from the very beginning
Hurricanes, twisters, ice and fire across the decades
Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of Orlando’s reaction to D-Day
Orlandoans learned of the 1944 invasion by an agreement between area churches and the Orlando...
Editorial: For 150 years, these 3 principles have guided the Orlando Sentinel
They are three very important words in our past, our present and our future. They...
Why does Orlando Sentinel nameplate look different today?
It was on June 6, 1876, that editor Rufus Russell produced Vol. 1, No. 1...
Orlando Sentinel turns 150 years old. This is our story.
We celebrate a century and a half of journalism in Central Florida by looking back...
History center exhibit showcases Orlando Sentinel’s story, community connection
Temporary display uses archives to explore relationship of the newspaper, which is marking 150 years,...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Join us Wednesday for ‘Stout and Storms’ event
As part of the Orlando Sentinel's 150th birthday celebration, we holding a special "Stout and...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Friday Flashback to Orlando’s failed streetcar
Orlando’s first and only electric trolley — dubbed Oscar for “Orlando Streetcar” — was a...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of when last Dusky Seaside Sparrow died
The aging, half-blind sole survivor of its kind died at Walt Disney World in an...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Archive versions of historic Orlando newspapers
This presentation shows three historic Orlando newspaper editions including an 1890 copy of the Orange...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Friday Flashback to ‘The Senator’
The 3,500-year-old giant bald cypress once served as a beacon for ancient tribes traveling inland...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of how Orlando got Harry P. Leu Gardens
In 1961, businessman Harry P. Leu donated to the city of Orlando the park that...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Friday Flashback to fishing on Lake Apopka
From the 1920s through the 1950s, the lake was hailed in national guidebooks as an...
Learn about Florida’s environment tonight and get a free plant
As part of its 150th anniversary celebration, the Orlando Sentinel will host the environmental event...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of how, why and where did Orlando get its swans
"From the day of their arrival, through all the years from babies to grandmothers and...
Pictures: Sentinel 150 anniversary ‘Ol’ Watchdog’ whiskey release at Forward/Slash
Check out images from the Orlando Sentinel 150 'Ol' Watchdog' whiskey event at Forward/Slash.
Orlando Sentinel 150: Our ideal environment has been broken — but not lost
Central Florida's environment is the lure that brought so many people and so much development...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Join us to talk about the environment
As part of its 150th anniversary celebration, the Orlando Sentinel will host a panel discussion...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of Orlando’s Zeta 7 radio station
WORJ-FM, "Zeta 7," as it was known back then, was the station that pioneered progressive,...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Friday Flashback to when Princess Diana came to town
Locals, visitors and the paparazzi were giddy seeing Princess Diana with sons William and Harry...
Pictures: Orlando Sentinel 150 forum on arts in Central Florida
Orlando Sentinel arts writer Matthew J. Palm, with Jennifer Evins, CEO of United Arts of...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of Bruce Springsteen’s first Orlando show
'The Boss’ performed at the old Orlando-Seminole Jai-Alai Fronton in Casselberry to a sell-out crowd...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of when Orlando got all shook up for Elvis
"They shrieked. They screamed. They jumped up in their seats. And they gazed at their...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Flashback Friday to Rolling Stones rockin’ Orlando in 1981
Some 60,000 people packed Orlando's old Tangerine Bowl on a hot Saturday afternoon. Mick Jagger...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Wayback Wednesday to sinking of Titanic
Today we look at our Reporter-Star's front page from April 16, 1912, with news of...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Flashback to radio and TV’s ‘Uncle Walt’
In the 1950s and '60s, just about every Orlando child knew Uncle Walt. His real...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of Orlando’s starring role in 1914 movie
Tampa's Civic Motion Picture Co. came to town in 1913 to film the first movie...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday memory of Kemp’s Coliseum, Orlando’s party place
For nearly 50 years, the Coliseum served as a social focal point for Orlando. It...
Orlando Sentinel 150: From big bands to boy bands, entertainment was always in spotlight
The Orlando Sentinel celebrates its 150th birthday by looking at the twists and turns that...
Orlando Sentinel 150: Entertainment wasn’t always equal for all
As the Orlando Sentinel looks back at 150 years of entertainment in Central Florida, there...
