San Francisco history

Tidbits and vignettes on San Francisco's often-fascinating history, from the Gold Rush to the Summer of Love and everything in between.

SFGate
San Francisco
The history of the hottest, most ill-advised theme park ever made: The Wooz
SFGate - Katie Dowd
An aerial view of the Wooz in Vacaville, Calif., from a promotional video released by the company in 1988. Opening day at the Wooz was a harbinger of the woes to come. Throughout 1988, hype had been building
5 days ago
SFGate
San Francisco
Juanita 'The Duchess' Spinelli: The first woman legally executed in Calif. ran an SF crime school
SFGate - Greg Keraghosian
Juanita Spinelli was reported to be a former pro wrestler, madam and trained nurse, though none of these can be confirmed. A hearing aid mistaken for a weapon may be what ruined Juanita Spinelli’s gang.
July 6
SFGate
San Francisco
Who were 'The Breeders' and were they responsible for California's strangest case of ecoterrorism?
SFGate - Katie Dowd
Millions of sterile medflies trapped within the metal box at foreground, are put into a special apparatus on plane at rear which will distribute them over Lake Forest. Flights were carried out from the
July 2
SFGate
San Francisco
They were some of California's most brutal slave owners. Their deaths sparked a massacre.
SFGate - Katie Dowd
Benjamin Kelsey was one of the first European American settlers in the Sonoma-Lake County area of California in the early 1840s. He was also a brutal slave owner. There was great excitement when the first
June 14
SFGate
Thomas Starr King: The man who 'saved' California — and who California forgot
SFGate - Katie Dowd
Reverend Thomas Starr King, the famed California orator. His name graces six California schools. He’s honored with a street in San Francisco. A peak in Yosemite is even named after him. But most Californians
May 26