The streets of suburban southwest Los Angeles County in the years following the end of World War II posed an increasing danger to all who used them, according to accident statistics cited in press reports from the era. The area’s vehicle traffic infrastructure was incomplete and crude at best in the days before freeways andContinue reading “Lions Drag Strip in Wilmington raced through its eventful 17-year run”
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Some South Bay and Harbor Area cities found the road to incorporation rocky
Here’s a trick question for you: Which South Bay/Harbor Area city was the first to incorporate officially? The answer: Wilmington, in 1871. The second? San Pedro, 1888. An incorporated city is a municipality whose business affairs, public works and civic activities are managed by elected officials who have been chosen by the votes of itsContinue reading “Some South Bay and Harbor Area cities found the road to incorporation rocky”
Geoffrey Patterson was a superhero to South Bay comic book fans
Geoffrey Wood Patterson’s lifelong comic book fandom began when he was eight years old and his mother would give him a dime to buy the latest issue of Blackhawk at the local market. The DC Comics book featured the heroic exploits of a team of World War II-era fighter pilots who carried out missions fromContinue reading “Geoffrey Patterson was a superhero to South Bay comic book fans”
Remembering former Torrance mayor and community visionary Katy Geissert
Every rapidly growing, forward-thinking city could use a Katy Geissert. Geissert was devoted to making Torrance a better place to live before, during and after her twenty years in city government. The evidence is all around town. The main branch of the Torrance library is named for her. She played a major role in theContinue reading “Remembering former Torrance mayor and community visionary Katy Geissert”
Pro wrestling dipped its toes in the South Bay and Harbor Area in the 1940s and 1950s
Professional wrestling has become such an overheated spectacle in recent decades that it’s understandable that its followers might assume that it’s always been that way. These days, matches are held in giant arenas all over the world and broadcast via pay-per-view internationally. But in its earlier years, things were very different. The roots of theContinue reading “Pro wrestling dipped its toes in the South Bay and Harbor Area in the 1940s and 1950s”
The Fox Theatre was the Palos Verdes Peninsula’s first movie palace
The carefully planned development of the Palos Verdes Peninsula that began to be implemented in the early 1920s did not include any shopping centers. The Peninsula’s first commercial area in Malaga Cove Plaza had a few small stores that fit the character of the semi-rural community of Palos Verdes Estates, which would become the Hill’sContinue reading “The Fox Theatre was the Palos Verdes Peninsula’s first movie palace”
The 1930s jitterbug craze had South Bay youths dancing all over the place
Dance historians who research such things credit American jazz singer and bandleader Cab Calloway for coining the term “jitterbug.” In 1934, he recorded a lively tune, “Jitter Bug,” that some credit for kick-starting an energetic dance craze that swept the nation. Here’s a clip of the song from Calloway’s 1935 short film, “Jitterbug Party”: TheContinue reading “The 1930s jitterbug craze had South Bay youths dancing all over the place”
The Alameda Corridor project took an old idea and made it better
The concept behind the $2.4 billion Alameda Corridor project isn’t altogether new. A year ago, I wrote about the Los Angeles & San Pedro Railroad, built by Phineas Banning in 1868. It became Southern California’s first railroad, connecting Banning’s port at Wilmington to the downtown Los Angeles rail yards. Goods, including lumber and other constructionContinue reading “The Alameda Corridor project took an old idea and made it better”
The roots of Don Kott’s landmark Carson car dealership go back to 1929
Karl Kott first toiled as a janitor after moving to California from Indiana in the early 1900s. After years of working his way up in the auto sales industry, he opened the Karl Kott Motor Co. in 1929. The Ford dealership was located at 402 W. Anaheim St. in Wilmington. It opened two years beforeContinue reading “The roots of Don Kott’s landmark Carson car dealership go back to 1929”
El Segundo’s Thunderbird Hotel made quite a splash when it opened in 1959
The commercial development of the area surrounding Los Angeles International Airport exploded in the 1950s as the airport itself grew and changed. Commercial passenger airlines didn’t begin operating at LAX until 1946, and the burgeoning airport didn’t even get its official name until 1949. The airport’s facilities were makeshift for its first few years, butContinue reading “El Segundo’s Thunderbird Hotel made quite a splash when it opened in 1959”
