100 Years of Headline News presented by The Orange County Register [Paperback]

Phil Brigandi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000

This unique keepsake book of specially selected front pages from The Orange County Register captures the mind and mood our county, our state, our nation and our world as we traveled through the last century. Each page brings these exciting moments to back life with breaking news as it was reported in the heat of deadline. Inside, you'll experience the arrival of the automobile, the "war to end all wars," the sinking of the Titanic, the Great Depression, the 1933 earthquake, the rise of the Third Reich, the dawn of the nuclear age, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the landing of men on the moon, the fall of Saigon, the destructive storms of 1983, the collapse of communism, Desert Storm, the Laguna firestorm, the dawn of a new millennium and much, much more. You'll be able to go beyond the big headlines and uncover smaller stories that made the front pages, stories that reveal who we were as a people during the last 100 years. You'll discover your heritage, and - perhaps - you'll learn something about yourself.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The unprecedented growth of the 1950s was only the prelude to what followed in the 1960s. Initially, the postwar boom had its greatest impact in the northern half of the county. In the 1960s, the boom pushed further south as both Irvine Ranch (which covered nearly one-sixth of the county) and Rancho Mission Viejo were opened to development. By the end of the decade, Orange County's population had more than doubled to more than 1.4 million.

Whole new master-planned communities began to appear in south county. Along with homes, more freeways were built. The Newport (now Costa Mesa) Freeway, the San Diego Freeway and the Garden Grove Freeway all opened during the decade. Existing communities also continued to grow, and Los Alamitos, San Juan Capistrano, Villa Park and Yorba Linda all voted to incorporate in the 1960s.

Citrus groves and other agricultural land disappeared rapidly. The packing houses closed, marking the end of an era in Orange County. The changes prompted some to call the county a "bedroom community," as thousands of workers commuted to jobs in Los Angeles County.

Growth continued almost unabated through the 1960s, as tract houses by the thousands, shopping malls, factories and schools seemed to appear almost overnight. The University of California, Irvine, was dedicated in 1964, joining Orange County State College (now California State University, Fullerton), which had opened five years before.

The Register grew with Orange County in the 1960s, and in 1965 it topped 100,000 in daily circulation. Freedom Newspapers also began acquiring more and more county papers, including the Orange Daily News (which was shut down in 1968), and the Anaheim Bulletin, Brea Progress, and La Habra Star, all of which continued to be published. The 1960s also brought the single biggest headline in the history of The Register, nearly a half-page in red in July 1969. It stated: "Man on Moon".

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Orange County Register (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963586874
• ISBN-13: 978-0963586872
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,521,505 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!, March 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: 100 Years of Headline News presented by The Orange County Register (Paperback)

I wish this is how history would've been taught when I was in school. I sure would've paid more attention.

Not only is the book's content captivating, the vivid headlines evoke the raw emotions of the past -- the fascination with early automobiles, the terror of natural disasters, the elation of WWII victory, nationwide paranoia during the Red Scare, the joy of man's first step on the lunar surface, the disgrace of Watergate, the horror of the Challenger explosion, the shock of the Columbine shooting, the jubilation at the dawn of the New Millennium and more.

This is the next best thing to actually being there (or alive) when history was made.