Rearview Mirror: When symphony musicians took on journalists, celebs
Sometimes the stars align and things that seem improbable somehow come together and make sense. 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: Staff’s elaborate pranks continue to be legendary
Who were the greatest practical jokers in Hawaii? Many of you might say disc jockey Hal “Aku” Lewis deserves the top spot. He had some great pranks, targeted mostly at everyone. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Edgewater Hotel was game-changer
Following World War II, a shift began in Hawaii’s visitor industry. Middle-class tourists began to outnumber the wealthy, and they wanted accommodations that were more informal and affordable. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Comedians cultivated pride in speaking pidgin
Last week I wrote about how pidgin originally developed in Asian ports as a way to converse with European traders. In Hawaii it developed as a way for different nationalities to converse with plantation co-workers. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Pidgin English has roots in 16th-century trade
In the 1500s, Europeans began sending ships to distant Asian ports for things like spices, tea, silk, cotton, diamonds, pearls and ivory. These traders developed a language so that they could understand each other. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Lex Brodie ran business with courtesy, honesty
Brodie valued being both straightforward and appreciative, and his actions showed it. Let’s find out about one of Hawaii’s legendary entrepreneurs. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Biotechnology’s birth is traced to Waikiki deli
Marketers have promoted Hawaii’s natural beauty and culture for decades: erupting volcanoes, rainbows, luau, surfing, tradewinds, music, hula, aloha shirts and li’dat. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Downtown building once Japanese store, USO club
On the Ewa-mauka corner of 1022 Bethel and King streets downtown is a five-story building that Island Insurance occupied until 2024. Across the street, on the Diamond Head side of that corner, was Liberty House, then Macy’s and Walmart, from the 1850s to today. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Postscript to past story: A Chicago-Waipahu link
It’s sometimes the case that when one of my columns runs, readers send me a story or comment that I didn’t know about previously. Often, they are interesting enough to share with others, as a sort if “P.S.” Here are three postscripts to the original stories. Read more
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Rearview Mirror: City once aspired to open 6 municipal golf courses
Two weeks ago I wrote about the Moanalua Golf Course and whether aviator Amelia Earhart landed a plane on its third fairway in the 1930s. (I concluded it was probable but not conclusive.) Read more
Rearview Mirror: Interesting names can generate endless grins
I have a fondness for interesting names. In the 14 years I’ve written this column, I’ve zeroed in on some curious first names, nicknames, company names and street names. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Earhart said to have landed on Moanalua golf course
Every week, I find interesting questions in my inbox. I often learn something while researching them. The first one today deals with Amelia Earhart in Hawaii. Read more
Rearview Mirror: ’60s fashion for guys meant flares, ‘drapes’
When I was a teenager in the 1960s, bell-bottom pants were popular. I remember the last time I wore them, they had shifted in my mind from looking cool to ridiculous. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Okazaki masseurs treated 2 presidents, celebrities
A few months ago I wrote about former judge James Seishiro Burns and how he came to have a Japanese middle name. Burns was a son of Gov. John A. Burns. He married TV journalist Emme Tomimbang. Read more
Rearview Mirror: In 1925 Hawaii, radio was latest technology
It’s hard for many of my friends to believe it’s already 2025. Some tell me they long for the “good old days.” Were things better then? Through the magic of this column, let’s jump into my Way Back machine and travel to 1925. What was Hawaii like 100 years ago? Let’s see. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Linda Coble shattered glass ceiling in TV news
If you watch the local television news today, you’ll see as many female reporters as male. But that wasn’t always the case. TV news reporters were all men until one woman broke through the glass ceiling in 1969. Her name is Linda Coble. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Dedicated teacher supported youth who became governor
This week and next, columnist Bob Sigall is presenting his annual Rearview Mirror Awards for those who made, preserved or shared Hawaii’s history. Read more
Rearview Mirror: How did Waikiki’s Barefoot Bar get its name?
The Barefoot Bar was one of the most popular places in town. “You couldn’t get in unless you knew someone,” recalls Miyuki Hruby, who started working with Spencecliff in 1944. “There was always a big line.” Read more
Rearview Mirror: Kimchi and Spam musubi among year’s tasty topics
This year in Rearview Mirror, we learned about a pilot who flew his plane under a Kauai bridge, we looked into the writing of the song “Mr. Sun Cho Lee,” by Bob Magoon and the Beamer brothers, and we learned about a buoy off Waikiki that was painted pink in protest. Read more
Rearview Mirror: 2024 columns spotlighted Obama Sr., Dick Tracy tale
Every December, I review the previous 11 months and write a two-part series of things I learned during the year. Writing this column is a process of discovery for me that I thoroughly enjoy. Here are some highlights. Read more
Rearview Mirror: Chicago-Hawaii connections are plentiful and run deep
I was looking for information on a Japanese submarine between Maui and the Big Island during World War II. I found an article about it written by journalism professor and writer Peter von Buol. Read more
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