Podcasts by San Francisco History Podcast

Sparkletack weekly timecapsule podcast, San Francisco October 27-November 2 from 2008-10-27T08:00:15

A weekly handful of weird, wonderful and wacky happenings dredged up from the kaleidoscopic depths of San Francisco history.



October 28, 1881:
A murder in Chinatown
...

Timecapsule podcast—San Francisco, October 20-26 from 2008-10-20T08:00:21

A weekly handful of weird, wonderful and wacky happenings dredged up from the kaleidoscopic depths of San Francisco history.

October 24, 1861

Sparkletack weekly timecapsule podcast, San Francisco October 20-26 from 2008-10-20T08:00:21

A weekly handful of weird, wonderful and wacky happenings dredged up from the kaleidoscopic depths of San Francisco history.



October 24, 1861



The transcon...

Timecapsule podcast—San Francisco, October 13-19 from 2008-10-13T08:00:48

A weekly handful of weird, wonderful and wacky happenings dredged up from the kaleidoscopic depths of San Francisco history.

October 18, 1851

Sparkletack weekly timecapsule podcast, San Francisco October 13-19 from 2008-10-13T08:00:48

A weekly handful of weird, wonderful and wacky happenings dredged up from the kaleidoscopic depths of San Francisco history.


October 18, 1851



On this date, aft...

Timecapsule podcast—San Francisco, October 6-12 from 2008-10-06T08:00:14

A weekly handful of weird, wonderful and wacky happenings dredged up from the kaleidoscopic depths of San Francisco history.

October 9, 1776

Sparkletack weekly timecapsule podcast, San Francisco October 6-12 from 2008-10-06T08:00:14

A weekly handful of weird, wonderful and wacky happenings dredged up from the kaleidoscopic depths of San Francisco history.



October 9, 1776



Two hundred a...

Timecapsule podcast—San Francisco, September 29-October 5 from 2008-09-29T08:00:28

A weekly handful of weird, wonderful and wacky happenings dredged up from the kaleidoscopic depths of San Francisco history.

October 1, 1938

Sparkletack weekly timecapsule podcast -- San Francisco, September 29-October 5 from 2008-09-29T08:00:28

A weekly handful of weird, wonderful and wacky happenings dredged up from the kaleidoscopic depths of San Francisco history.



October 1, 1938



On a foggy Sa...

Timecapsule podcast—San Francisco, September 22-28 from 2008-09-22T08:00:07

September 24, 1855

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Sparkletack weekly timecapsule podcast, San Francisco September 22-28 from 2008-09-22T08:00:07

September 24, 1855



The preserved head of Joaquin Murieta and the hand of Three-Fingered Jack were sold at auction today to settle their owner's legal problems. Joaquin Murieta wa...

Something new: weekly Time-capsule podcast, September 15-21 from 2008-09-18T02:24:03

A little explanation is in order

So. The schedule of Sparkletack production has fallen off a bit during the past year, and for that I apologize. I miss the show myse...

Sparkletack weekly time-capsule podcast, September 15-21 from 2008-09-18T02:24:03

A little explanation is in order

So. The schedule of Sparkletack production has fallen off a bit during the past year, and for that I apologize. I miss the show myself, so I've decided to ...

Lana Turner—a San Francisco noir from 2008-09-15T17:15:54

Yet another one for the "there's always a San Francisco angle" files ....

Lana Turner -- her father's death, a San Francisco noir from 2008-09-15T17:15:54

Yet another one for the "there's always a San Francisco an...

Sunset neighborhood—televised history tour from 2008-08-28T19:11:44

The ubiquitous and erudite Woody LaBounty of the Western Neighborhood Project takes Brian Hackney of CBS Channel 5 on a televised history tour of his beloved Sunset stomping grounds. Just in case y...

Sunset Neighborhood televisions tour with Woody LaBounty - Western Neighborhood Project from 2008-08-28T19:11:44

The ubiquitous and erudite Woody LaBounty of the Western Neighborhood Project takes Brian Hackney of CBS Channel 5 on a televised history tour of his beloved Sunset stomping grounds. Just in case y...

Vintage snapshots of San Francisco pt. 2: Google-mapped from 2008-08-18T16:25:38

A couple days after I passed on this alert to the amazing Charles Cushman photo collection...

Faded time capsule—vintage snapshots of San Francisco from 2008-08-13T23:22:16

A reader alerted me to an amazing post that just popped up over at Laughing Squid.

See the two ph...

Time capsule -- vintage San Francisco snapshots from 2008-08-13T23:22:16

A reader alerted me to an amazing post that just popped up over at Laughing Squid.

See th...

Kitchen Sisters on NPR:“Birth of Rice-A-Roni” from 2008-08-08T17:30:06

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NPR Kitchen Sisters "Birth of Rice-a-Roni", the story of the San Francisco Treat from 2008-08-08T17:30:06

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Grandpa’s archives: San Francisco Chronicle aerial photo ca. 1949 from 2008-08-01T20:35:39

My mother called a few days ago, opening the conversation with a breathless "I think I've found something that might interest you!"

She was right.

Her sister had recently gone th...

San Francisco Chronicle aerial photo 1949 from 2008-08-01T20:35:39

My mother called a few days ago, opening the conversation with a breathless "I think I've found something that might interest you!"

She was right.

Her sister had ...

SFWeekly:“Nonconformity Still Reigns” from 2008-07-02T15:52:58

Apparently yours truly is ...

SFWeekly article - San Francisco's Colorful Characters: "Nonconformity Still Reigns" from 2008-07-02T15:52:58

Apparently yours t...

Bullitt: the greatest car chase ever (from space!) from 2008-07-01T09:56:37

This video takes Bullitt about ten steps further. It's a side-by-side display that -- through the techno-wizardry of geocoding Listen

Steve McQueen "Bullitt" car chase - San Francisco geocoding video from 2008-07-01T09:56:37

This video takes Bullitt about ten steps further. It's a side-by-side display that -- through the techno-wizardry of geocoding Listen

book review: Oakley Hall’s“Ambrose Bierce Mystery Novels” from 2008-06-20T15:35:57

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Book Review: Oakley Hall's Ambrose Bierce Mystery Novels, set in 1890s San Francisco from 2008-06-20T15:35:57

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And I quote:“Buried Treasure in San Francisco?” from 2008-06-12T00:29:09

I love this blog, if for no other reason than the jawdropping diversity of the email that slips over the digital transom. This note from a few weeks ago just about takes the biscuit. In breathless ...

San Francisco History buried treasure from 2008-06-12T00:29:09

I love this blog, if for no other reason than the jawdropping diversity of the email that slips over the digital transom. This note from a few weeks ago just about takes the biscuit. In breathless ...

book review—“Historic Photos of San Francisco” from 2008-05-26T03:28:14

I read a lot of books on San Francisco and California history. And though these posts are labeled “book reviews”, the only books you’ll ever see here are those that I’ve rea...

San Francisco History photos podcast from 2008-05-26T03:28:14

I read a lot of books on San Francisco and California history. And though these posts are labeled “book reviews”, the only books you’ll ever see here are those that I’ve rea...

SFist:“A Jitney Elopement”—Charlie Chaplin’s San Francisco film from 2008-04-30T21:30:35

File this — again — under “there’s ALWAYS a San Francisco connection”. A reader recently alerted me to the fact that Charlie Chaplin, America’s favourite clown (...

Pacifica is back! from 2008-04-11T17:29:54

When last we encountered this goddess-behemoth, she was being blown up by the Navy at the end of the ’39 Pan-Pacific Exposition. The mythical goddess Pacifica — symbol of the Fair ̵...

sparkletack facebook group from 2008-04-08T21:23:32

Web 2.0 here we come … there’s a brand new Sparkletack group on Facebook. You can post photos and video, add links, start a discussion, or just join the group and show your enthusiasm f...

tour review—san francisco ghost walk from 2008-04-06T18:09:38

I love San Francisco, I love history, and I love walking. Luckily for me, there are a billion walking tours out there. Every so often I participate in one of these, try to pick up a thing or two, a...

san francisco steam coffee? from 2008-03-21T22:16:16

I ran across an old and beautiful (not to mention HUGE) coffee urn in front of a Portland antique store today. Just like a magpie, shiny objects catch my eye — so I stopped to check it out. I...

sparkletack reviewed by“San Francisco City Guides” from 2008-03-16T17:46:49

Sparkletack is featured in this month’s “Guidelines”, the newsletter of the non-profit San Francisco City Guides. You know about them already, right? Free tours all over town run ...

SFist—“not even jackassable” from 2008-03-14T21:42:49

The latest from my little column over at the SFist: “Not Even Jackassable” We perused the recent SFist post about the pitiable state of San Francisco’s streets with a certain sens...

1907 harrison street mainline—photographic google map from 2008-02-25T18:11:51

It’s my favourite thing, finding physical evidence of times past in the landscape of contemporary San Francisco. That’s why I was delighted when Aaron, a Sparkletack reader, sent me to ...

SFist—whiskerless waiters at the palace hotel from 2008-02-19T22:40:05

The latest from my little column over at the SFist: Whiskerless Waiters at the Palace Hotel In the middle part of the 19th century, a thick set of whiskers were an essential facial feature of every...

book review—“The Bottle Imp” from 2008-02-15T21:14:24

I read a lot of books on San Francisco and California history. And though these posts are labeled “book reviews”, the only books you’ll ever see here are those that I’ve rea...

The fog rolls in—24 hours in 144 seconds from 2008-02-12T20:01:06

This is spectacular. Twenty-four hours of San Francisco are compressed into less than three minutes of time-lapse video, gorgeously captured from the hills above Sausalito. The city and bay spend m...

#66: Alma de Bretteville Spreckels from 2008-02-03T16:17:47

It’s one of San Francisco’s best-loved monuments — the figure of a heartbreakingly beautiful girl balancing lightly atop a granite column high above Union Square. She soars above ...

SFist—“Leg Bones for Baseball Bats” from 2008-01-24T20:55:14

Researching San Francisco history means spending way too much time sitting in the dark. In the library, I mean, staring at microfilm of old newspapers. Hours of scanning those scratched and blurry ...

tour review—victorian home walk from 2008-01-05T00:37:41

I love San Francisco, I love history, and I love walking. Luckily for me, there are a billion walking tours out there. Every so often I participate in one of these, try to pick up a thing or two, a...

SFist—tippling with kipling, san francisco 1889 from 2007-12-05T19:26:53

The 74th anniversary of “Repeal Day”, the end of Prohibition in the United States provided the inspiration for this entry. Tippling with Kipling, San Francisco 1889 Ah, today should be ...

“the good herb”—yerba buena from 2007-12-01T19:27:24

San Francisco is following me around. You know what I mean — it probably happens to you too: wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, something pops up to bring your attention back to t...

SFist—san francisco,“the paris of the west” from 2007-11-26T23:00:13

This meandering SFist entry was inspired by an email from a listener. Royce recalled hearing those evocative words in some episode or another, and just wondered if I could tell him which one it was...

the winnah and undisputed champeen from 2007-11-15T18:33:13

The results of the Sparkletack “favourite episode poll” are in! Okay, they’ve been in for a month already — but it isn’t as if the dominance of Emperor Norton is somet...

’39 world’s fair butterfly from 2007-11-10T22:50:09

What is it exactly? It’s built like a notebook, with a couple of sheets of green and magenta construction paper sandwiched between its plastic wings … but it can’t really be opene...

screwball time-traveling noir: the bay time detective from 2007-10-17T16:48:07

An email showed up last week which I found impossible to overlook, beginning as it did with the words “Hail, Sparkletack!” Clearly a writer of taste and intelligence! But wait — c...

love letter—san francisco history center from 2007-10-08T19:00:47

Dearest San Francisco History Center, I have longed to write to you for so long, but it has taken me months to work up the nerve. If only you could appreciate how wonderful you are. Here’s what y...

#65: Memories of an Argonaut from 2007-09-25T21:00:26

To many of the thousands of gold-seekers pouring through the Golden Gate back in 1849, the word “Argonaut” was already a familiar one, drawn from the ancient myth of “Jason and th...

book review—“Treasure Island; San Francisco’s Exhibition Years” from 2007-09-22T21:04:49

I read a lot of books on San Francisco and California history. And though these posts are labeled “book reviews”, the only books you’ll ever see here are those that I’ve rea...

1938 san francisco street map from 2007-08-28T16:00:24

Mark Pritchard over at San Francisco Metroblog has alerted us to a fabulous new Flickr find; a 1938 street map of San Francisco in vivid pinks, blues, and greens. And why fabulous? In 1938 there ar...

#64: San Francisco’s Treasure Island (pt. 2) from 2007-08-27T16:00:12

What is Treasure Island? Why is it there? And where is it going? In the second episode of this 2-part podcast series, San Francisco’s plan for a mid-bay international airport is abruptly dera...

“story of treasure island”transcript online from 2007-08-24T19:46:13

Transcripts for Sparkletack’s 2-part “Story of Treasure Island” podcast series are now online at the website of the upcoming Treasure Island Music Festival (September 15th-16th). ...

SFist—anniversary of a flesh wound from 2007-08-22T23:21:48

Number 6 in the new series of Sparkletack posts on SFist.com, San Francisco’s collaborative urban blogging project. Anniversary of a Flesh Wound The violent melodrama characterizing the recen...

poll: choose your favourite sparkletack episode! from 2007-08-05T19:29:22

An amazing 63 episodes of Sparkletack have floated out into the digital ether so far — 64 if you count the infamous “Trolls” episode. That’s well over two years of storytell...

#63: San Francisco’s Treasure Island (pt. 1) from 2007-08-05T19:22:30

Treasure Island is easily visible from San Francisco’s Embarcadero, a low-lying front porch jutting out towards the Golden Gate from Yerba Buena Island. Palm trees in a silhouetted row set of...

“mr. summers’1941 vacation”—prelinger archive from 2007-07-17T22:08:05

I’m addicted to the “moving images” section of the Internet Archive — particularly the Prelinger Archives, recently absorbed into the Library of Congress. This massive colle...

book review—“San Francisco Almanac” from 2007-07-02T20:00:22

I read a lot of books on San Francisco and California history. And though these posts are labeled “book reviews”, the only books you’ll ever see here are those that I’ve rea...

SFist—mark twain torched lake tahoe? from 2007-06-29T19:30:35

The re-post of #5 in the new series of Sparkletack posts on SFist.com, San Francisco’s collaborative urban blogging project. Mark Twain Torched Lake Tahoe? The wildfire raging up near Lake Ta...

#62: Samuel Holladay, Pioneer Squatter of Lafayette Park from 2007-06-22T22:10:26

On a recent Pacific Heights walking tour I found myself standing atop Lafayette Park. As I admired the spectacular view, the guide told an unfamiliar story about a mansion that once occupied this h...

SFist—island for sale… from 2007-06-20T20:24:08

The re-post of #4 in the new series of pieces for the SFist, San Francisco’s collaborative urban blogging project. nugget o’ history — Island for Sale Who knew that one of the fiv...

SFist—sands-can-drift-so from 2007-06-11T23:52:09

Here it is, the re-post of #3 in the new series of little pieces for the SFist, one of San Francisco’s fastest growing collaborative blogging projects. nugget o’ history — Sands-c...

vintage san francisco maps—on the cheap! from 2007-06-08T22:40:04

File this under cheap and geeky thrills: full-size photocopies of old San Francisco maps for pocket change! I got a hot tip about this from a friend of mine several years ago, but with my usual ala...

tour review – pacific heights (sf architectural heritage) from 2007-06-05T15:00:49

Here’s the thing — I love San Francisco, I love history, and I love walking. Luckily for me, there are a billion walking tours out there, and every so often I take one. I do my best to ...

SFist—at least today they’re being shot with cameras from 2007-05-30T22:45:04

Here it is, the re-post of #2 in the new series of little pieces for the SFist, one of San Francisco’s most well established collaborative blogging projects. At Least Today They’re Bein...

7×7 san francisco—on the newstands now from 2007-05-30T20:59:23

Well, the promised 7×7 interview has finally hit the streets. It’s a disconcerting experience to read one’s spoken words in print, especially if it turns out that they’ve bee...

#61: Lefty O’Doul—The Man in the Green Suit from 2007-05-28T02:25:40

You’ve seen the green and white signs in front of the “Lefty O’Doul Restaurant and Piano Bar” down on Geary Street, but who is Lefty O’Doul? Just another phony Irish n...

drafted by the SFist! from 2007-05-25T22:35:42

Sharp-eyed readers — or should I say “San Francisco blog addicts” — will have noticed the recent appearance of yours truly on the SFist, a San Francisco-obsessive collaborat...

buried history from 2007-05-10T18:32:29

The buzz over recently exposed timbers of the “King Philip”, a clipper ship which foundered at Ocean Beach in 1878, got me thinking about San Francisco’s legacy of maritime corpse...

7×7 san francisco from 2007-05-08T22:22:37

“Hey mom, my picture’s gonna be in a magazine!” Strange but true. I just spent an hour in a studio with a battery of hot lights trained on my mug… the results of which shoul...

a sparkletack tour of san francisco from 2007-05-04T15:00:50

My long-time supporter Michael Roberts sent an email several months ago that absolutely made my day: After listening to your podcasts for the last six months, I couldn’t wait any longer and t...

#60: Starr King and the California Civil War (pt. 2) from 2007-04-27T16:01:20

At the end of the Part One of this two part series, Abraham Lincoln had been elected president, the Civil War had broken out, and the question of California’s loyalty to the Union was in grav...

tour review—ferry building (sf city guides) from 2007-04-12T16:36:21

Here’s the thing — I love San Francisco, I love history, and I love walking. Luckily for me, there are a billion walking tours out there, and every so often I take one. I do my best to ...

sparkletack interviewed–VerySpatial podcast from 2007-04-11T16:07:48

San Francisco is about to be invaded by geographers! The annual convention of the Association of American Geographers is coming to town, and Jesse Rouse, cohost of the VerySpatial podcast (an excel...

#59: Starr King and the California Civil War (pt. 1) from 2007-04-09T05:47:35

Over 100,000 people a day travel the Geary Street corridor. But how many glance over and notice the grey statue standing watch at Franklin Street? Only a very few look even further, and notice the ...

book review—“River of Shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological Wild West” from 2007-03-14T17:28:49

I read a lot of books on San Francisco and California history. And though these posts are labeled “book reviews”, the only books you’ll ever see here are those that I’ve rea...

mission street railroad graphic from 2007-03-09T21:03:05

I have more than a passing interest in transportation and urban infrastructure issues — not because I have any expertise in the subject, mind you — I just find it fascinating to ponder ...

#58: The Crocker Spite Fence from 2007-02-21T07:22:34

History is rife with bizarre confrontations and grand feuds, but in San Francisco none were more bizarre than the showdown between Charles Crocker (bellicose railroad robber baron) and Nicholas Yun...

book review—Mark Twain’s“Roughing It” from 2007-01-10T23:16:51

I read a lot of books on San Francisco and California history. And though these posts are labeled “book reviews”, the only books you’ll ever see here are those that I’ve rea...

tour review—1906: phoenix rising (sf city guides) from 2007-01-09T03:28:38

Here’s the thing — I love San Francisco, I love history, and I love walking. Luckily for me, there are a billion walking tours out there, and every so often I take one. I do my best to ...

sparkletack interrupted…an update from 2006-08-21T22:07

My time away from the show has been action-packed, both because of the profusion of ideas for changes and improvements, and also because my personal life has taken an unexpected turn for the hectic...

announcement: sparkletack takes a break from 2006-05-08T07:58

well, here goes: as i give attention to some exciting san francisco related projects that i’ve been cooking up, including the writing of a book, sparkletack will be on hold for a month or two...

#57: The Reber Plan for San Francisco Bay from 2006-05-08T02:37

Unsurprisingly, San Francisco’s history includes an amazing number of extremely “creative” plans which seem to us today to be absolutely insane. In 1945, a schoolteacher and amate...

#56: Lotta Crabtree—the San Francisco Favourite from 2006-04-30T07:29

In this week’s podcast we’ll marvel at beautiful Lotta Crabtree, quintessential star of the late 1800s. She was the protege of Lola Montez, the highest paid performer on Broadway, the d...

#55: Caruso, the Palace, and the 1906 earthquake from 2006-04-16T08:36

This week’s podcast chooses just one of the many thousands of individual stories to emerge from the catastrophe, following the eccentric Italian superstar and the storied hotel through their ...

#54: The Notorious Lola Montez from 2006-04-08T14:57

This week’s podcast grapples with the unbelievable legend of Lola Montez, the gorgeous Irish peasant girl with the soul of a grifter and the heart of a despot. She lived about three lifetimes...

Tour Review—Dashiell Hammett’s San Francisco from 2006-04-06T06:54:52

Here’s the thing — I love San Francisco, I love history, and I love walking. Luckily for me, there are a billion walking tours out there, and every so often I take one. I do my best to ...

#53: The Bella Union and the Barbary Coast from 2006-04-01T14:28

All sorts of San Francisco legends shared her stage and its Barbary Coast history, among them Oofty Goofty, Big Bertha, Lola Montez, Emperor Norton and little Lotta Crabtree. Today’s podcast ...

#52.5: The Trolls of San Francisco from 2006-04-01T00:00

The history of one of these hidden layers is, however, little known and rarely spoken of – I refer of course to the San Francisco trolls. Though some hold that the trolls are a primitive peop...

#52: Adolph Sutro, the Populist Millionaire from 2006-03-25T10:11

This week’s podcast explores the history of the millionaire philanthropist who gave so much to our city and whose story is — amazingly — almost forgotten. For further edification:...

Tour Review—Chinatown Alleyway Tours from 2006-03-22T05:57:39

Here’s the thing — I love San Francisco, I love history, and I love walking. Luckily for me, there are a billion walking tours out there, and every so often I take one. I do my best to ...

#51: The Columbarium and the Caretaker from 2006-03-19T00:00

In an attempt to answer the oft-voiced question "what is that thing, anyway?", in this week’s podcast a visit is finally paid to this sumptuous Victorian repository for cremated remai...

#50: The Balclutha and the Chantey Sing from 2006-03-11T00:00

The Park Service website reads simply "sing traditional working songs aboard a floating vessel." The songs? Sea chanteys. The vessel? A majestic iron-hulled squarerigger called the "Bal...

#49: Sam Clemens and the Celebrated Jumping Frog from 2006-03-04T00:00

Though the rest of the country thinks of Samuel Langhorne Clemens as a southerner, it was a spell in San Francisco and the wilds of California which turned young Sam into "Mark Twain". This...

#48: Mark Twain and the Great Earthquake of 1865 from 2006-02-25T00:12

By now just about every San Franciscophile has been alerted to the fact that April 18th of this year will mark the centennial of the 1906 earthquake — the Big One which destroyed the city tha...

#47: Robert Louis Stevenson—Chinatown Treasure from 2006-02-18T00:12

San Francisco has a long-standing reputation as a literature-loving town, as evidenced by government statistics ranking us as having the highest per-capita spending on books in the country. Over th...

#46: San Francisco Fortune Cookie from 2006-02-11T00:00

On a tour of the alleyways of Chinatown last week I learned something that I hadn’t heard before — namely, that the world-famous Chinese fortune cookie was invented right here in San Fr...

#45: Frank Chu Just Shows Up from 2006-02-04T00:00

Downtown San Francisco on a Tuesday afternoon, and every businessman’s face looks the same. Whatever happened to eccentric and iconic characters like Emperor Norton and Oofty Goofty? You sear...

Thank You! from 2006-01-30T13:17

San Francisco Magazine for the complimentary review of Sparkletack appearing in the “Snap Judgements” section of the January issue. The February issue is already out on the stands, of c...

#44: Moving the Dead—San Francisco Cemeteries from 2006-01-28T07:07

There are only three cemeteries left within the city limits of San Francisco. Note the phrase carefully: “left” in San Francisco. There were once far more than just three, which makes p...

#43: San Francisco Motorcycle Club—Since 1904 from 2006-01-21T00:01

Established at the dawn of the century, the San Francisco Motorcycle Club has thrived for over a hundred years.There are plenty of fossils in this town, relics of another age, but the SFMC represen...

#42: Alexander Leidesdorff—The Black Millionaire from 2006-01-14T00:55

It was 1841, and like so many of those who have washed up on these shores, then or since, William Alexander Leidesdorff was a man on the run from his past — a man trying desperately to reinve...

#41: The Golden Gate Bridge, a Modest Proposal from 2006-01-07T00:00

“So what do you think of that beautiful bridge?” I started to say, but she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, an odd, wistful look in her eyes. “what is it?” I asked. She ...

#40: Luisa Tetrazzini and Christmas eve from 2005-12-31T00:00

“I will sing in San Francisco if I have to sing in the streets, for I know that the streets of San Francisco are free.” It was 1910. San Francisco was still in a bad way following the g...

#39: The Great Diamond Hoax from 2005-12-17T00:00

It was 1871. William Ralston had become one of the richest and most powerful men in California, partly on the strength of his shrewd business maneuverings, but largely on the fact that he was an in...

#38: Rudyard Kipling in San Francisco from 2005-12-10T00:00

In 1889 this talented young writer, the son of a British colonial schoolteacher and future winner of the Nobel prize for literature, visited San Francisco on his way from India to England. It was n...

#37: Philo T. Farnsworth from 2005-12-03T00:00

Riding around the chilly streets of San Francisco this week I spotted a bumpersticker that I hadn’t seen for some time: “kill your television”. The rich irony of seeing that parti...

#36: Birth of San Francisco #3 from 2005-11-26T00:00

Part three of the pre-history of San Francisco, the early life of the village of Yerba Buena. (if you missed ’em, listen to part one and part two first.) This is the concluding episode on thi...

#35: Birth of San Francisco #2 from 2005-11-19T00:00

Part two of the pre-history of San Francisco, the early life of the village of Yerba Buena. The epic sweep of Mexico’s revolution and the annexation of California to the United States for all...

#34: The San Francisco Twins from 2005-11-12T00:00

Ask anyone, the twins are just “The Twins”. They walk alike. They talk alike. But most of all, they look and dress exactly alike, and would not have it any other way. Vivian and Marian ...

the san francisco twins, Vivian and Marian Brown from 2005-11-12T00:00

Ask anyone, the twins are just “The Twins”. They walk alike. They talk alike. But most of all, they look and dress exactly alike, and would not have it any other way. Vivian and Marian Brown are al...

#33: Andrew Smith Hallidie—Father of the Cable Car from 2005-11-05T00:00

Many people who came to seek their fortune in the gold country failed to strike it rich, but ended up contributing their unique abilities and energies in much more interesting ways. This show is de...

#32: Letter from the Gold Rush, 1850 from 2005-10-28T23:00

There have been a great number of letters written from and about San Francisco through the decades, some by visitors and some by citizens, some known around the world, others anonymous. It is fasci...

#31: Carville—A Lost Neighborhood from 2005-10-22T02:00

San Francisco is famously made up of an eccentric patchwork of neighborhoods. What is less known is that some of the most interesting and unusual have come and gone, leaving very little trace of a ...

#30: Streets of San Francisco #2 from 2005-10-15T01:54

Show number two in the “Streets of San Francisco” series, still walking westwards, one street at a time. Today’s show moves from Powell street to Polk, with a couple of historical...

#29: The Legend of Black Bart from 2005-10-07T23:00

Summer of 1875, and the Wells Fargo stagecoach is slowly rattling through a mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada gold country, bearing a cargo of passengers, U.S. mail, and gold. The driver pulls the...

#28: Birth of San Francisco #1 from 2005-09-30T23:00

By the time I arrived, San Francisco was already a city — and had been one for the previous century and a half. But what went on before that time? What was San Francisco before it was San Fra...

#27: Patty Hearst, revolutionary sweetheart from 2005-09-23T23:00

The cool evening of February 4th, 1974. Nineteen-year-old Patricia Hearst, heiress to the Hearst family fortune, was relaxing in a rented apartment on campus with her fiancee. The front door burst ...

#26: Streets of San Francisco #1 from 2005-09-16T23:00

As I was riding around town this weekend, I was suddenly struck by a thought: stopped at the intersection of Broadway and Battery Streets, I suddenly wondered to myself: “Broadway? Battery? W...

#25: Charles Cora and the 2nd Vigilance Committee from 2005-09-09T23:00

Charles Cora must have been a happy man as he arrived in San Francisco in 1852 with Arabella Ryan on his arm. And why not? He was a professional gambler of the highest reputation, and would have be...

#24: Alcatraz from 2005-09-03T00:00

The very name gives one chills, doesn’t it? On a sunny day it seems almost unbelievable that such a lovely little island could have once been such an menacing symbol of power. It’s just...

#23: The Wave Organ from 2005-08-26T23:00

It’s one of San Francisco’s strange and secret treasures, hidden in plain sight at the edge of the Bay. As you stroll along the jetty you suddenly spy the… wait, what is that? A f...

#22: The China Clipper from 2005-08-20T01:38

I’ve just returned from a short vacation to a distinctly un-San Francisco like location… Hawaii! It took me a little while to come up with a San Francisco connection, but on the flight ...

#21: Emperor Norton from 2005-08-12T23:00

We’ve had our fair share of peculiar citizens over the last 150 years, but in my judgement none compare to the “Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico”, his excellen...

#20: Fog City from 2005-08-05T22:00

There’s a strange atmospheric phenomenon peculiar to our location halfway up the North-American coastline, something that has shaped the romantic atmosphere of San Francisco since the very mo...

#19: The Mission Burrito from 2005-07-30T00:00

After a few days in san francisco, you’ll begin to notice a strange proliferation of fat silvery cylinders sprouting from the hands and faces of the local population. Is it an alien invasion?...

#18: Firebelle Lil—Elizabeth“Lillie”Coit from 2005-07-22T21:00

Elizabeth “Lillie” Hitchcock Coit was one of the prototypically colorful characters of San Francisco history. A daughter of high society, she was a tomboy who developed an unusual obses...

#17: The San Francisco“Conversation” from 2005-07-15T14:12

Everybody’s having it. at home, at work, on the bus… everywhere in San Francisco the same question… and what are we asking each other about? “Sooo…. how much rent are ...

#16: San Francisco Pyramid from 2005-07-09T05:10

What is that THING looming above the San Francisco skyline? Almost a thousand feet tall, covered in stone, with a bright red beacon at the top… okay, I guess even though we’re not in Eg...

#15: The Golden Gate Bridge and Suicide from 2005-07-02T05:35

The Golden Gate Bridge is the no. 1 suicide landmark in the world. It opened proudly in 1937, but less than two years — and 11 jumpers later — a local newspaper reported that the Califo...

#14: The Golden Fire Hydrant of San Francisco from 2005-06-25T07:47

The “fact” that San Francisco was completely destroyed by the Great Earthquake of 1906 is widely known, of course — but less well known is the actual fact that it was the subseque...

#13: The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill from 2005-06-19T05:58

I can clearly remember the first time I saw the wild parrots of San Francisco flying through the air over my neighborhood. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Or my ears, for that matter…their ...

#12: San Francisco Blue Jeans from 2005-06-15T12:54

Well, I always thought that I knew the story of Levi’s jeans, how the Bavarian Levi Strauss showed up in Gold Rush San Francisco with a ton of heavy canvas for tent-making, met a miner who ne...

#11: Straight Razor Morning from 2005-06-12T04:32:59

A nightmare week of computer mayhem and chaos has stimulated the nostalgic, anti-digital-technology side of my brain, and inspired me to talk about my newest old-school adoption: the straight razor...

#10: The Ruination of Fatty Arbuckle from 2005-06-06T12:05:17

Think celebrity trials and sensationalist journalism were born yesterday? Think again. The ongoing trial of Michael Jackson has put me in mind of the murder trial of international celebrity Fatty A...

#9: Schadenfreude and San Francisco High Society from 2005-06-04T02:46:47

“Schadenfreude” is a lovely German word that means “the joy we take in observing the misfortunes of others” — more or less — and that’s what today’s ...

#8: Corpseflower at San Francisco Conservatory from 2005-06-02T03:02:22

What a day! Computer problems got you down? I can personally recommend a trip to visit the super-stinky corpseflower to put things in perspective! It only blooms for a day or two, but the scent of ...

#7: San Francisco Shanghai from 2005-05-27T14:50:52

Oh, for the life of a sailor in Gold-Rush San Francisco! Those hard-luck men and boys were lucky enough to witness the birth of a brand new wild west verb up close and personally: Shanghai! Well, m...

#6: Where’s The Food? from 2005-05-25T02:51:39

So that’s what San Francisco is missing — good street food! We’ve got some of the greatest restaurants in the world, but for a cheap, greasy meal on the sidewalk, there’s a ...

#5: San Francisco Fireworks–On The Air from 2005-05-23T06:44:11

Fireworks over San Francisco Bay make me feel like a kid again! the annual waterfront “Kaboom” celebration and a little Bay Area radio history. Take a look at the KFOG website for pictu...

#4: Steam Beer–The Authentic San Francisco Style from 2005-05-21T06:21:16

Tonight’s podcast features a special method of German homework avoidance: brew up a batch of beer, breathe in the delicious aroma of malt and hops, and ruminate over the history of America...

#3: Street Flowers from 2005-05-18T07:35:18

Spinning junk into art — is a smile returning to the face of San Francisco? I haven’t been carrying my digital camera, just got a couple of shots today. This kind of ephemeral street ar...

#2: Dogs In The Pharoah from 2005-05-17T05:45:02

San Francisco memories of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo”, Egyptian architecture, and a dog lovin’ apartment building.

Sparkletack #1 from 2005-05-15T07:08:17

Podcast the first…thoughts on the venerated San Francisco tradition of “sidewalk recycling”, and I don’t mean cans and bottles!