1923: Hollywood Sign is Dedicated

Placed on Mount Lee in Hollywood Hills, the giant 45-foot tall letters that spells out “Hollywood” was dedicated on this day in 1923. Originally placed as an advertisement for a local real estate development, it read, “Hollywoodland,” the name of the development. Not intended to last a lifetime, the sign deteriorated and was restored in 1949 with the decision to remove “land.” Urban legend would have us believe that the letters were removed due to the death of movie star, Peg Entwistle who in 1932, committed suicide by climbing a workman’s ladder up to the top of the ‘H’ and jumping to her death. She was 24 years old. The sign was restored again in 1949 with help from Gene Autry, Andy Williams, Alice Cooper and others. Today the sign is protected and promoted by the Hollywood Sign Trust, a nonprofit organization. (Image: Wikimedia)