Rearview Mirror: Poking around the 1980s archives
Readers often tell me something that sends me back in time, rummaging around the archives for confirmation of one sort or another. Read more
Rearview Mirror
Columnist Bob Sigall writes the weekly column “Rearview Mirror,” which takes a look back at historic Hawaii through stories, interviews and photos.
Rearview Mirror: Restaurateur went from Trump Cafe to Golden Duck
Before we even begin, I have to say that today’s topic has nothing to do with a politician who just happens to have the same name. You’ve probably heard of him … he’s frequently in the news …he was president of the United States. Yes, him. Today’s article is not about him. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Oppenheimer film stirs up memories of Atomic Age
The film “Oppenheimer” has reminded several islanders about the atomic tests that were visible in Hawaii skies in the 1950s and 1960s. The tests were high in the atmosphere and, despite the distance, visible from Hawaii. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Son shares stories of Columbia Inn legend
In July I wrote about Tosh Kaneshiro, owner of the Columbia Inn on Kapiolani Boulevard near South Street. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Pitcher and blond bombshell left an impact on the islands
I had lunch with Gene Kaneshiro last week. He showed me a photo of the Columbia Inn Roundtable All-Star baseball team from the early 1970s. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Many places on the mainland have Hawaii names
Where was the Waikiki Dairy? Not in Waikiki, or even Hawaii for that matter. It was in Spokane, Wash. Why is there a Manoa Shopping Center in Pennsylvania? Why is there a town in Oregon named Aloha? And why do they pronounce it “A-lo-ah”? Read more
Rearview Mirror: Kiddie Matinee Clubs provided Saturday morning entertainment
Laurence Wiig, who says he’s now 81 and living in Oregon, suggested I write about the Saturday Kiddie Matinee Movie Clubs that many Hawaii theaters had in the mid-1930s to early 1960s. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Columbia Inn’s ‘Tosh’ Kaneshiro was world’s greatest Dodger fan
One of the greatest family restaurants in Hawaii history, in my opinion, was the Columbia Inn. It wasn’t a fancy place like the Third Floor or Canlis, but it had good, affordable food and was open 24 hours a day. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Hawaii residents banded together when hurricanes wreaked havoc
June marks the beginning of hurricane season in the Central Pacific. Hurricanes Dot (1959), Iwa (1982), and Iniki (1992) were the most consequential in recent times. Read more
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Rearview Mirror: Buzz’s Original Steak House featured different iterations
uzz Schneider had a talent for starting things. His first restaurant, Buzz’s Steak ‘n’ Lobster, opened in July 1957 in Waikiki. In the following decades there would be over 20 restaurants in his orbit. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Actor Tom Selleck captured in many islanders’ photos
I asked readers who they managed to have a photo with. Did they cross paths with a celebrity and have a photo to prove it? Last month I shared stories of their meeting Neil Diamond, Willard Scott, Beatrice Wood and Nancy and Ronald Reagan. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Punchbowl, nuclear power, Flamingo eateries spur interest
My email inbox is usually overflowing with reader comments and questions. Sometimes they ask things I have never considered, such as when Punchbowl was first considered as a cemetery, or about proposed nuclear power plants on Oahu. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Readers recall their brush with greatness through photos
I met R. Buckminster Fuller, the inventor of the geodesic dome, a few times when he was in Hawaii around 1980. I have a photo of us somewhere. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Broadcaster started career calling for Hawaii Islanders
One of the greatest broadcasters in sports history, in my opinion, is Al Michaels. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Neighborhoods’ character produced nicknames
Jeffrey Young asked, “Can you find out where ‘Chinese Hollywood’ is and how it got its nickname? Read more
Rearview Mirror: Readers relive close encounters with Jack Lord, ‘Hawaii Five-0’
In March I wrote about the original “Hawaii Five-0,” which ran from 1968 to 1980. Several readers told me about their experiences with the long-running TV show. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Street vendors left their mark before modern supermarkets
A few months ago I wrote about vendors who drove, biked or walked though residential communities selling milk, ice cream, pastries, meat, vegetables, fish, manapua, tofu, ice, brooms, etc. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Shaka’s origin evolves through the years as readers chime in
On April 7 I wrote about the somewhat obscure history of that thumb-and-pinkie wave we call shaka. It brought in several interesting comments from readers. Here are some of them. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Decades-old shaka conveys aloha for Hawaii’s people and culture
Recently, Steve Sue, who is making the documentary “Shaka, the Story of Aloha,” interviewed me about that local thumb-and-pinkie wave we do here. In preparing for it, I decided to take all the things I know about the shaka and put it in a timeline. It helped me gain some perspective on it. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Bed races, National Dollar Stores pique interest
People ask me all the time where I get the ideas for my columns. Many of them come from questions readers send me. Here are three I’ve gotten in the past few weeks. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Temperature, snow and eating pizza among first impressions of mainland
Ronnie Belasco in Sacramento, Calif., suggested a topic for today: “Ask your readers what their first impressions of the mainland were, when they landed. Read more
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