Rearview Mirror: Local anglers once fished in the Ala Wai
Today the Ala Wai Canal is considered the dirtiest waterway in the state, but 70 years ago plenty of local fishermen plied its waters. 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: Neighborhood vendors gave way to supermarkets
Before the advent of modern supermarkets in Hawaii, vendors supplied many of neighborhood families’ needs. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Elvis’ ‘Aloha From Hawaii’ concert was 50 years ago
The 50th anniversary of the Elvis concert “Aloha From Hawaii” was Saturday. The concert was the first ever to be broadcast worldwide. An estimated 1.5 billion fans in 36 countries watched the 90-minute show. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Danny Kaleikini had a way to make everyone feel special
Danny Kaleikini, who died Jan. 6 at the age of 85, had a way of making everyone feel special. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Kamaaina Quiz puts your local knowledge to the test
Every 10 years or so, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser runs a column of things you should remember if you’ve lived in Hawaii a long time. I thought that my first column of 2023 would be a good time to update this popular feature. Read more
Rearview Mirror: And now the envelope for the annual awards
An end-of-the-year tradition for me is my annual Rearview Mirror Awards, given to those who made, preserved or wrote about Hawaii history. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Revisiting tales from 2022 rekindles fond memories
Last week I began my annual two-part review of things I learned in the course of writing this column in the past 12 months. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Taking a trip down memory lane of stories in the past year
At the end of the year, I review my columns and write about some of the things I learned in the past 12 months. Writing this column is a process of discovery for me. It gives me great pleasure to do it. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Readers share their Hawaii volcano stories
With Mauna Loa erupting for the first time in nearly 40 years, I thought I’d ask readers about their first experience with the volcano. Read more
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Rearview Mirror: Readers share more Hawaii restaurants they miss
Last week I wrote about long-gone restaurants and the dishes readers would like to be able to dine on again. Over 100 readers responded and suggested their favorite places, so here is another installment. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Readers share Hawaii restaurants they miss
Recently, I was talking to a friend about Mama’s Mexican Kitchen. It had locations at 378 N. School St., Moanalua Shopping Center, Pearl Kai Food Court and in Waikiki at 478 Ena Road. I particularly liked their taquitos, sopes and salsa. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Pearl City Tavern was a landmark for over 50 years
A landmark for over 50 years, and once the Leeward area’s swankiest place to dine, the Pearl City Tavern began in 1940 when only 800 people lived in Pearl City. Read more
Rearview Mirror: German-born Berger shaped Hawaii’s musical heritage
My research this year has brought up a man named Donald Billam-Walker a few times. He and Clarice Taylor researched 1,300 Honolulu street names, writing about them in 1956. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Bank of Hawaii and others celebrate milestones in 2022
Every year, I write about the anniversaries of important Hawaii organizations. In August I explored the 190th anniversary of Liliuokalani Church in Haleiwa, the 100th anniversary of Misaki’s Grocery on Molokai and the 95th anniversary of St. Francis Hospital in Liliha. Here are some more significant anniversaries. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Punahou School’s perfect game has never been duplicated
At the end of the year, I give out awards to Hawaii people who have made history, preserved it, written about it or, in this case, all three. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Notable graduates and storied history of Roosevelt High School
I spoke to the Roosevelt High School class of 1960 reunion Thursday at the Waialae Country Club. I gave them a quiz — a “final exam” — that tested their knowledge of the school, coaches and students. Read more
Rearview Mirror: King Kalakaua prescribed medicine for his subjects
Every now and then I find myself with several vignettes that didn’t fit into an earlier column but are too interesting to ignore. So I put three or four together, even if they are unrelated. I call this type of column “leftovers.” Read more
Rearview Mirror: Story of Hobron Lane leads in many directions
It’s always interesting to me when a simple question leads to unexpected places. Such was the case in September when a question about Eames Street in Wahiawa turned up the fact that Alfred W. Eames Sr., who gave the street its name, narrowly missed being on the Titanic in 1912. Read more
Rearview Mirror: The Queen Mother made the most of Honolulu visits
Queen Elizabeth II died Sept. 8 after a reign of 70 years. I’ll write about her three visits to Hawaii another time. Today I thought I’d write about her mother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who visited Honolulu twice, in 1958 and 1966. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Kicker from Kaneohe made Notre Dame football history
The University of Michigan football team took revenge on Hawaii on Saturday, beating the Rainbow Warriors 56-10 in a “close” game. Read more
Rearview Mirror: UH’s Manoa campus once included a farm and dairy
Four years ago I wrote about Dammit the Dalmatian, a dog who “attended” classes at University of Hawaii at Manoa. Max Urata told me the staff of the student newspaper, Ka Leo, gave Dammit his own column in 1954, and he even ran for student body president. He lost by a whisker, Urata said. Read more
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