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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Lois Beckett in Los Angeles

Timeline: the strange history of the Hollywood sign as it turns 100

Hollywood Michelle Yeoh Hugh Hefner Brad Pitt Joe McNally Los Angeles Times National Geographic
woman dangles in the air from ropes over hillside
The actor Michelle Yeoh in midair over the Hollywood sign in November 1998. Photograph: Joe McNally/Getty Images

1923: Just a $21,000 billboard

The Hollywood sign begins life as a temporary advertisement for a new housing development in the Hollywood Hills. Its precise date of construction is unknown: by the end of 1923, a few news reports in Los Angeles mention, in passing, a giant sign reading “Hollywoodland”, illuminated with electric lights.

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