Wonderful Pics That Capture Everyday Life of Daytona Beach, Florida in the 1980s

Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. It lies about 51 miles (82.1 km) northeast of Orlando, 86 miles (138.4 km) southeast of Jacksonville, and 242 miles (389.5 km) northwest of Miami. Daytona Beach is also a principal city of the Fun Coast region of Florida.

The city is historically known for its beach where the hard-packed sand allows motorized vehicles to drive on the beach in restricted areas. This hard-packed sand made Daytona Beach a mecca for motorsports, and the old Daytona Beach Road Course hosted races for over 50 years. This was replaced in 1959 by Daytona International Speedway.

Daytona Beach is also the headquarters for NASCAR.

These beautiful pictures from Angie Saycheez that captured everyday life of Daytona Beach, Florida in the 1980s.

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20 Fascinating Pics That Capture the Daytona Bike Week in 1980

For a brief period of time before the over-commercialized vendor spectacle its now become, Daytona Bike Week included a wide variety of spectator activities that revolved around racing - any way, anytime, anywhere.

The sand drags were tolerated by the community of Daytona Shores, while at the Cabbage Patch racing for pinks was a cat and mouse game between deputies and racers.

Matches were set up, then a group of bikers would take off in one direction as a decoy. The cops would follow, while the money race slipped off as a small group to a suitable stretch of pavement for the actual face off.

These fascinating photos from John Siebenthaler that show the Daytona Bike Week in March 1980.

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In the 1970s, Andy Sweet Photographed the Kitschy Vibrance of a 'Fading' Miami Beach

Photographer Andrew John Sweet was a boy from Miami who returned home after receiving his MFA to capture Miami Beach's fading, but still vibrant old world Jewish culture of the late 1970s and early '80s, from the unrestored art deco apartment buildings full of retirees that proliferated around South Beach, to the big hotels and their snowbirds up the beach.

His photos celebrate the architecture, clothes, and emotions of the people of the city, revealing a culture that has in many ways vanished.

Tragically, Sweet was killed in 1982, but a foundation created by his family, the Andy Sweet Photo Legacy, is resurrecting his work and planning on publishing a book.

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34 Fascinating Photos That Show the SunFest of West Palm Beach in the Late 1980s and Early 1990s

“Sunfest was (and may still be) an annual art and music festival held in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida, usually in early May. I went to several events in the late '80s and early '90s. I shot photos of the performers and of the crowds there.”

 These fascinating photos of this festival Steven Martin shot from 1987 to 1992.

Street performer, SunFest, West Palm Beach, 1987

Aerobic dance performance, SunFest, 1988

Aerobic dance performance, SunFest, 1988

An attractive young lady makes change for a customer at a frozen snack cart, SunFest, 1988

George Benson (probably) and band performing, SunFest, 1988

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31 Beautiful Snaps Show What Miami, Florida Looked Like in the Early 1980s

Miami is the cultural, economic and financial center of South Florida. It is the seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida. The city covers an area of about 56.6 square miles (147 km2), between the Everglades to the west and Biscayne Bay on the east, and also the sixth most densely populated major city in the United States.

The Miami metropolitan area is the seventh-largest metropolitan area in the nation. Its metro area is the second-most populous metropolis in the southeastern United States and fourth-largest urban area in the U.S.

Miami is a major center, and a leader in finance, commerce, culture, media, entertainment, the arts, and international trade. It is nicknamed the "Capital of Latin America" and is the largest city with a Cuban-American plurality.

Miami has the third tallest skyline in the U.S. with over 300 high-rises. For more than two decades, the Port of Miami, known as the "Cruise Capital of the World", has been the number one cruise passenger port in the world. It accommodates some of the world's largest cruise ships and operations, and is the busiest port in both passenger traffic and cruise lines.

These beautiful snapshots were taken by Steven Martin that show Miami in 1983 and 1984.

 Jewelry Stand, Coconut Grove, Miami, 1983

Family Fishing, Watson Island, Miami, 1983

Young Woman & Boy Fishing, Watson Island, Miami, 1983

Biscayne Boulevard at Flagler Street, Miami, 1984

Braman Cadillac, Miami, 1984

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The Greatest Finish in the History of NASCAR: The Final-Lap Battle Between David Pearson and Richard Petty at Daytona, 1976

The 1976 Daytona 500, the 18th running of the event, happened on February 15th, 1976 at Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida. It is remembered for the late-race duel and accident between David Pearson and Richard Petty. Pearson got his car re-fired and limped across the line for the win while Petty’s car sat inches short of the finish line, where his crew came and pushed him across.

Many fans consider this finish to be the greatest in the history of NASCAR. The end of the race was televised live on American network ABC.

“Yet for all the races I won,” said Petty, “the race I’ll be remembered most for--and the one I remember most myself--was one I lost.”

“I wanted to move up in front of him to keep him from coming back around me. I thought I’d cleared him. I lacked about six inches,” Petty said later about the crash.

In the 1976 Daytona 500, Petty took the white flag in the lead, his No. 43 Petty Blue and Day-Glo Red Dodge ahead of the iconic No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Mercury.

On the backstretch, Pearson went low, pushing hard for the win. Pearson took the lead going into Turn 3, with Petty moving to the bottom line to try and re-pass Pearson as the two entered Turn 4.

As they exited Turn 4, Petty was ahead of Pearson, but he got loose, drifted up the track and made contact with Pearson, sending the Wood Brothers Mercury nose first into the frontstretch wall.

Petty hit the wall a split second later, when he was well ahead of Pearson. But just as it appeared Petty would take the checkered flag and win another 500, his car spun into the infield and stalled, just yards short of the start-finish line.

Pearson, meanwhile, was able to re-fire his heavily damaged Mercury and limped to the checkered flag, taking the victory.

“He went around me … and I dove on under him and when I did, the front end broke loose and got him sideways,” said Petty.

“I drafted by him going down the backstretch and naturally, I guess, his car got to pushing or something and he just pushed right on up into me and spun me around and I got into the wall,” said Pearson in Victory Lane.

Petty’s crew attempted to push his car across the line, but that isn’t allowed under NASCAR rules. He still was credited with second place.

There were no hard feelings, just two warriors who had given their all, producing a finish that will be remembered for the ages.

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12 Cool Pics That Show Interior of a Florida Streamline Moderne House in 1941

Streamline Moderne, sometimes termed Art Moderne, is a late type of the Art Deco architecture and graphic design/style that emerged in the 1930s. Its architectural style emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements.

These cool pics from ElectroSpark that show interior of a Streamline Moderne house at 941 Bay Esplanade, Clearwater Beach, Florida. The house is currently for sale for $2.7 million.

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Beautiful Female Beach Fashions in Florida, 1950

One piece suits were still the most popular choice during the 1950s, but some did venture out and show off more skin. For the braver ladies during this time, bikinis were ideal and the trend really started to pick up. Finally, swimsuits allowed women to feel confidant and attractive, revealing a new standard of sexy.

To celebrate the arrival of beach season in 1950, LIFE’s Nina Leen photographed that season’s trends for women: strapless and halter-top swimsuits, “pirate pants” drawn from fashions of the French Riviera and island-inspired straw hats. Thighs were in and midriffs were out, as simple suits allowed accessories the spotlight.

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30 Fascinating Color Slides That Capture Everyday Life of Daytona Beach in the 1950s

Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. It is a principal city of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, Florida metropolitan statistical area.

Daytona Beach is also a principal city of the Fun Coast region of Florida that is historically known for its beach where the hard-packed sand allows motorized vehicles to drive on the beach in restricted areas.

This hard-packed sand made Daytona Beach a mecca for motorsports, and the old Daytona Beach Road Course hosted races for over 50 years. This was replaced in 1959 by Daytona International Speedway. The city is also the headquarters for NASCAR.

Take a look at these fascinating color slides to see the beauty of Daytona Beach from the 1950s.

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Between Training and Resting: Stunning Vintage Photographs Capture Daily Life of the Circus Girls of Sarasota in 1949

In 1949, LIFE magazine sent famed photographer Nina Leen to document the daily life of a sassy troupe of young women who had run off and joined the famous Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, Fla. What developed was a portrait of a sisterhood formed over acrobatics that mixed high-flying wire acts with fashionable high-waisted shorts.

Sarasota was once considered “the home of the American circus.” Leen’s stunning photos reflect an apparently carefree lifestyle of independent single women flourishing during a time in American history when most women were expected to marry instead of having careers. Leen went behind the scenes just seven years before the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows announced it would no longer be performing inside tents.

A group of circus girls taking a ride in a circus vehicle during a rehearsal for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949.

LIFE visits the circus in Florida- Acrobats and stage performers in various stages of action in 1949.

An acrobat practicing on a tent rope while an unidentified woman is standing nearby during a rehearsal for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949.

An acrobat holding an umbrella and rehearsing on a rope for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949.

An acrobat rehearsing for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus while an unidentified man holding a rope in Sarasota in 1949.

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