Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941, was not an isolated act of war. Instead, it was just one part of a series of coordinated military attacks on Western colonies and outposts in the Far East on that day. Japanese forces also attacked Indochina as Southeast Asia then was known.Continue reading “The wartime race to produce synthetic rubber left a toxic legacy in the South Bay”
Tag Archives: history
Air raid wardens bolstered civil defense effort on the home front during World War II
The idea of the United States having to create an infrastructure to defend itself from possible aerial attacks on its homeland did not become a front-burner issue until the mid-1930s. Several factors brought the possibility to the forefront. Most prominent was the development of larger, longer-range aircraft capable of executing bombing strikes from long distances,Continue reading “Air raid wardens bolstered civil defense effort on the home front during World War II”
Torrance’s first mayor helped lead the city through its incorporation process in 1921
George Alphy Proctor’s name doesn’t have the same familiar ring as that of Jared Sydney Torrance, wealthy founder of the city of Torrance. But every burgeoning community needs enthusiastic boosters like Proctor to help get it up and running in its early days. Proctor was born in Vale, Iowa, on June 16, 1880, to JohnContinue reading “Torrance’s first mayor helped lead the city through its incorporation process in 1921”
Seadromes: Ocean landing strips for airplanes seemed like a good idea for a time
The dawn of the aviation age opened up a world of possibilities for the passenger transportation industry. The first American commercial airline flight in a fixed-wing plane took place on New Year’s Day in Miami in 1914. Though excitement about aviation quickly reached a fever pitch, the early generation of airplanes had severe limitations whenContinue reading “Seadromes: Ocean landing strips for airplanes seemed like a good idea for a time”
The popular Pacific Electric Red Car line made getting to San Pedro easy for all
By the 1920s, it became possible to hop aboard a commuter train at 6th and Main streets in downtown Los Angeles, ride it to Los Angeles Harbor, switch to the Catalina Island Terminal line in Wilmington, and, at that terminal, catch a ride aboard a steamship over to the Island, all without using a car.Continue reading “The popular Pacific Electric Red Car line made getting to San Pedro easy for all”
Unusual financing plan launched San Pedro’s Hacienda Hotel in 1955
According to the San Pedro News Pilot, the idea arose out of a chamber of commerce meeting in San Pedro in 1950. Having observed the rapid postwar growth boom of neighboring suburban communities, a unnamed member of the group of local business leaders and boosters said something like, “What this community needs is a goodContinue reading “Unusual financing plan launched San Pedro’s Hacienda Hotel in 1955”
Those newfangled ZIP codes helped speed up mail processing and delivery
These days, we’re all accustomed to using the ubiquitous five-digit ZIP code. But it wasn’t always so. In fact, there were no postal codes in use at all up until thousands of U.S. mail workers left their jobs temporarily to join the armed services during World War II. Post office managers had to hire andContinue reading “Those newfangled ZIP codes helped speed up mail processing and delivery”
How and when did the South Bay come to be known by that name?
Geography tells us why the chunk of coastal Los Angeles County land south of Ballona Creek became known as the “South Bay.” The area from Playa del Rey down to the Palos Verdes Peninsula forms the lower half of Santa Monica Bay, hence the “South Bay” sobriquet. The South Bay’s boundaries are less well-defined thanContinue reading “How and when did the South Bay come to be known by that name?”
Dee Hardison’s stint as Torrance mayor was only part of her service to the city
Dee Hardison became only the second woman to become mayor of Torrance when she won the office in 1994. She directly followed the city’s first female mayor, Katy Geissert, who served two terms from 1986 to 1994. But Hardison achieved a whole lot more before and after her two productive terms as mayor. She wasContinue reading “Dee Hardison’s stint as Torrance mayor was only part of her service to the city”
Gardena’s early days and its eventual incorporation as a city
Before the arrival of the Spanish land grant owners in the latter part of the 1700s, the Tongva branch of the indigenous Gabrielino tribe inhabited the area that later became Gardena. They farmed its fertile soil, enriched by natural irrigation arising from its location at the northern end of Dominguez Slough, a body of waterContinue reading “Gardena’s early days and its eventual incorporation as a city”
