When the first aquaplane race from Catalina Island to Hermosa Beach by way of Manhattan Beach was held in 1935, the race got unofficially nicknamed the “ironing board derby.” It would later officially be named the National Aquaplane Race. What in the world am I talking about? Let me explain. Despite the name, aquaplane racesContinue reading “The National Aquaplane Races caused a sensation in the beach cities in the 1930s and 1940s”
Tag Archives: Catalina Island
The U.S. Merchant Marine played a key role in Southern California during World War II
The United States Merchant Marine traces its origin back to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. In June 1775 in Machias, Maine (then part of Massachusetts), townspeople refused to provide the British with lumber to build barracks for their troops, resulting in the British bringing in the armed ship HMS Margaretta to retaliate. The settlersContinue reading “The U.S. Merchant Marine played a key role in Southern California during World War II”
The Great White Steamship delighted millions before meeting its ignominious end
The S.S. Catalina was one popular ship in its heyday. During its fifty-plus years of operation beginning in 1924, she carried an estimated 25 million passengers from the Port of Los Angeles to Santa Catalina Island and back again. The Catalina wasn’t the first ship built specifically for transporting tourists across the sea to Avalon,Continue reading “The Great White Steamship delighted millions before meeting its ignominious end”
Spring training with the Cubs on Catalina Island
Spring training baseball action at the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field facility on Catalina Island in the 1920s. Chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr.’s twin interests in baseball and Catalina Island – he bought Catalina in 1919, and gained a controlling interest in the Cubs in 1921 – dovetailed nicely when he made the decision toContinue reading “Spring training with the Cubs on Catalina Island”
