Attempts to annex the unincorporated Del Aire area, located roughly between the cities of Hawthorne and El Segundo, began soon after houses started going up in the region in the late 1930s. First, some geography. The Del Aire area as currently constituted consists of two roughly rectangular segments whose combined area totals just over oneContinue reading “The Del Aire area remains unincorporated despite decades of annexation attempts”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Why Assemblyman Vincent Thomas deserved having a bridge in his name
When Vincent Thomas was 16, he used his boxing skills – he earned $2.50 per fight – to help support his family. His parents, Visko and Vinca Tomas (shortened from Tomasevich) arrived from Croatia in eastern Europe in 1903. They were living in Biloxi, Mississippi, when Vincent, one of eight children, was born on AprilContinue reading “Why Assemblyman Vincent Thomas deserved having a bridge in his name”
Astronaut and San Pedro High grad Dr. Anna Fisher became the first mother to fly in space
Anna Lee Fisher decided that she wanted to be an astronaut on May 5, 1961. On that day, Alan Shepard became the first American to reach space during a 15-minute flight that took him 116 miles above the Earth before his capsule returned him to a landing in the Atlantic Ocean. Nearly two decades beforeContinue reading “Astronaut and San Pedro High grad Dr. Anna Fisher became the first mother to fly in space”
Real estate entrepreneur gave Redondo Beach its captains-of-industry street names
Anyone who’s spent time driving in north Redondo Beach has seen the streets named for early 20th century captains of industry, or, depending on your perspective, robber barons: Rockefeller Lane, Ripley Ave, Huntington Lane, etc. It turns out one man was responsible for naming them in the early 1900s, in 1906 to be exact. HisContinue reading “Real estate entrepreneur gave Redondo Beach its captains-of-industry street names”
Larry Walters takes off from San Pedro for his unbelievable 1982 flight
Larry Walters told the San Pedro News Pilot that he got the idea for his July 2, 1982 flight after seeing some military weather balloons for sale in an Army-Navy surplus store when he was 13. He no doubt wasn’t the first person to imagine tying balloons to a lawn chair and taking to theContinue reading “Larry Walters takes off from San Pedro for his unbelievable 1982 flight”
Pioneer centenarian Phoebe Sykes came to Torrance before it was Torrance
Phoebe Sykes knew Torrance when it was mostly just an idea in founder Jared Sydney Torrance’s mind. The Torrance she knew then was mostly dusty fields, broken up by occasional encampments of workers on construction projects in the nascent city. Sykes was born Phoebe Hartley in Huddersfield, England, on Oct. 25, 1868. She married jeweler AlbertContinue reading “Pioneer centenarian Phoebe Sykes came to Torrance before it was Torrance”
San Pedro’s Al Larson Boat Shop has been a Port fixture for more than a century
Peter Adolph (Al) Larson emigrated from his native Sweden to the United States as a 16-year-old in 1890. He first began learning the boatbuilding trade in the San Francisco Bay area, and eventually moved south to Los Angeles. He founded the Al Larson Boat Shop on the Salt Lake Wharf at the harbor in WilmingtonContinue reading “San Pedro’s Al Larson Boat Shop has been a Port fixture for more than a century”
Battles of the bands thrived in the South Bay during the 1960s garage band era
The “battle of the bands” concept wasn’t invented during the 1960s, when hundreds of teen bands began springing up in suburban garages in the wake of the rise of surf music and, a bit later, the Beatles-led British Invasion. But the shifts in pop music tastes definitely sparked a renaissance in the band contests. PopContinue reading “Battles of the bands thrived in the South Bay during the 1960s garage band era”
Panama Canal celebrations at the Port of LA were muted by the outbreak of World War I
The successful completion of the Panama Canal on April 1, 1914 stands as one of the most significant moments in the development of the West Coast shipping industry, and, in particular, the development of the newly minted Port of Los Angeles, founded just seven years earlier. The idea of linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceansContinue reading “Panama Canal celebrations at the Port of LA were muted by the outbreak of World War I”
Ichabod Crane’s restaurant was just one of four that preceded King’s Hawaiian in Torrance
King’s Hawaiian Bakery and Restaurant at 2808 Sepulveda Blvd. in Torrance has become a South Bay fixture since opening for business in 1988. (I profiled the King’s operation in 2019.) King’s has added a palm tree and some tropical plants, but otherwise, the popular eatery’s carefully manicured, brick-enhanced exterior doesn’t exactly evoke a traditional HawaiianContinue reading “Ichabod Crane’s restaurant was just one of four that preceded King’s Hawaiian in Torrance”
