'Bolita' (Spanish for Little Ball), is a type of lottery which was popular in the latter 19th and early 20th centuries in Cuba and among Florida's working class Hispanic, Italian, and black population. Bolita was brought to Tampa in the 1880s, and flourished in Ybor City's many Latin saloons. Though the game was illegal in Florida, small, mobile operations which frequently moved around and eventually police payoffs were able to keep the bolita games running for a long time. A lottery is a popular form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... State nickname: Sunshine State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush (R) Official languages English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ... Hispanic, as used in the United States, is one of several terms used to categorize U.S. immigrants for whose background hail either from Spain, the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America or the original settlers of the traditionally Spanish-held Southwestern United States. ... African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ... Franklin Street, looking North, Tampa c. ... 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Ybor cigar factory, c. ...

In the basic bolita game, 100 small numbered balls are placed into a bag and mixed thoroughly, and bets are taken on which number will be drawn. Many variations on this theme were created. Bets were typically very small and sometimes sold well in advance, and the game was not infrequently rigged, most simply by having extra balls of a given number and not including others at all. Other means of cheating included having certain balls filled with lead so they'd sink to the bottom of the bag, or putting certain balls in ice beforehand so they'd be cold and therefore easy for the selector to find by touch.

The alleged king of Bolita in the 1920s was a native Tampa, Florida cracker (Nigger)?, Charlie Wall. Italian mafiosi Santo Trafficante, Sr. and Santo Trafficante, Jr. also figured prominently in the Florida bolita games. Sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or primarily in North America as the Roaring Twenties. // Events and trends Technology John T. Thompson invents Thompson submachine gun, also known as Tommy gun John Logie Baird invents the first working television system (1925) Charles Lindbergh becomes the first person to fly... Franklin Street, looking North, Tampa c. ... White cracker, or simply cracker, was originally a pejorative term for a white person mainly used by blacks in the Southern United States, a usage that is now (as of 2005) somewhat archaic. ... The word nigger is an extremely controversial term used in many English-speaking countries, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia to refer to individuals with dark skin, especially those of African descent who previously were racially classified by the term Negro. ... // Mafia The Mafia, also referred to as La Cosa Nostra (Italian, variously translated as This Thing Of Ours or Our Thing), is the collective name of various secret organizations in Italy, Sicily, Corsica and the United States. ... Santo Trafficante, Sr. ... Santo Trafficante, Jr. ...