sf history
Filipino-American Vicki Draves Made Olympic History
San Francisco is an old, iron safe filled with gold, glory, disaster, and secrets. SFCentric History is a new column, by SF writer V. Alexandra de F. Szoenyi, that digs in the vaults of local history and shares the sensational people, places, and things that rocked San Francisco. This time it’s all
SFCentric History: THE 1850S TANFORAN COTTAGES IN THE MISSION
Photo: David Sawyer/Flickr The Mission is the oldest neighborhood in San Francisco. With that distinction, comes antique architecture and notable addresses. Such is the case of the Tanforan cottages at 214 and 220 Dolores St. These homes belonged to Toribio Tanforan and his family and are two of only about
The November 2024 BAS Voter Guide
A Big Change to This Year’s Voter Guide We’ve been doing voter guides for a really long time. I’m pretty sure we put our first one out in like 2010 or something. And I know that thousands of you rely on our voter guides to help you make decision. But
Marie Seise, the First Chinese Woman in San Francisco
San Francisco is an old, iron safe filled with gold, glory, disaster, and secrets. SFCentric History is a new column, by SF writer V. Alexandra de F. Szoenyi, that digs in the vaults of local history and shares the sensational people, places, and things that rocked San Francisco. Chinese culture is an
SFCentric History: When Houdini Escaped His Way Around San Francisco
San Francisco is an old, iron safe filled with gold, glory, disaster, and secrets. SFCentric History is a new column, by SF writer V. Alexandra de F. Szoenyi, that digs in the vaults of local history and shares the sensational people, places, and things that rocked San Francisco. Harry Houdini (born Erik
SFCentric History: The First Black Heavyweight Champ Trained in SF
Muhammed Ali. Joe Louis. Larry Holmes. Mike Tyson. George Foreman. These incredible fighters are household names and legends in the boxing world. But do you now who the first African-American heavyweight champion of the world was? The man Ali called the greatest? His name was John Arthur “Jack” Johnson, and he trained, fought, and won right here in San Francisco.
SF’s Legendary Fire Chief Dennis T. Sullivan Predicted the City’s Disaster
Fire Chief Dennis T. Sullivan’s cautionary words proved prophetic, as the city was thrown into a disaster which destroyed over 80% of the city and killed about 3,000 people–including Sullivan.
BAS Pride 2015- Hanky Code: The Movie in SoMa Wednesday (6/17)
Ah, the hanky: Our community’s polychromatic tradition of flagging the way we like to fuck. Being a perv and a nerd, I’m obviously a fan, with it’s origins supposedly going back in the mists of time to square dances full of randy forty-niners and wayward sailors out for a hot
The Secret, Longhair, Radical Activist History of Mayor Ed Lee
Get this — SF Mayor Ed Lee was once a radical tenants’ rights activist back in the 1970s. Yes, I said tenants’ rights activist. The same Ed Lee who currently presides over a stratospheric real estate boom that’s evicting unprecedented numbers of ethnic working class families and elderly people once dedicated his life