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”
Tag Archives: history
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 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”
How pioneer automaker Henry Ford ended up having a street named for him in Wilmington
Henry Ford’s Model T revolutionized automobile production when it became the first auto produced using the moving assembly line in 1913. The innovation streamlined the production process at his factory in Highland Park, Michigan. During the 1920s, Ford looked to expand production greatly, planning for six new factories employing the assembly line process to beContinue reading “How pioneer automaker Henry Ford ended up having a street named for him in Wilmington”
The Banning mansion showcased the lifestyle of Wilmington’s most prominent citizen
It’s hard to imagine the Banning Mansion, for years a stunning Wilmington landmark, as anything less than a gleaming historical showplace set in a pristine park. But its future was clouded by uncertainty following the death of the last family member living there, Hancock Banning, in 1925. Family patriarch Phineas Banning built the structure inContinue reading “The Banning mansion showcased the lifestyle of Wilmington’s most prominent citizen”
Aircraft firm based at Torrance Airport created an innovative crop duster in the 1950s
Until I heard from Carlos Gomez, I hadn’t given much thought to agricultural aviation, more commonly known as crop dusting, and its relation to the South Bay. Gomez mentioned that his father Antulio once worked as an engineer for Transland, a company based at the Torrance Airport that built the AG-2, one of the firstContinue reading “Aircraft firm based at Torrance Airport created an innovative crop duster in the 1950s”
Albert Halfhill: The man who transformed once-lowly tuna into the “Chicken of the Sea”
This may sound hard to believe, but before 1903, no Americans wanted anything to do with eating tuna. Anglers loved to catch the feisty sportfish, but its flesh tasted gamey and unpleasant. Alfred Powers Halfhill turned that all around. He was born in Morrow County, Ohio, near Columbus, on Nov. 25, 1847. He worked asContinue reading “Albert Halfhill: The man who transformed once-lowly tuna into the “Chicken of the Sea””
1924 Klan raid on San Pedro union hall included tarring and feathering, injuries to children
No one really knows the exact reason why members of the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.) labor union members became known as “Wobblies.” The union’s own website offers up four possible explanations. What is known about the IWW, founded in Chicago in 1905, is that it has always been controversial for its unabashedly socialistContinue reading “1924 Klan raid on San Pedro union hall included tarring and feathering, injuries to children”
Army general Amos Fries played a huge role in developing the Port of Los Angeles
Amos Alfred Fries (pronounced “freeze”) was career Army all the way. He was born in Viroqua, Wisconsin, on March 17, 1873. The family moved around a bit when he was young, first to Missouri and then to Oregon. Fries was living in Oregon when he applied and was accepted to the U.S. Military Academy inContinue reading “Army general Amos Fries played a huge role in developing the Port of Los Angeles”
Tumultuous dockworker strikes helped to form, strengthen the ILWU
Waterfront labor leader Harry Bridges, whom we’ve written about several times, led the movement to unionize West Coast dockworkers when he formed the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) in 1933. After meeting stiff resistance in contract negotiations with the Waterfront Employers Association (WEA), which represented shipping company owners, the union voted to strike in May 1934.Continue reading “Tumultuous dockworker strikes helped to form, strengthen the ILWU”
