Newport Beach in the Rearview Mirror

Latest Episodes:

3: Pop Quiz on Newport History (v1) Feb 17, 2021

Show notes

A five-question, multiple-choice pop quiz on Newport Beach history. Here are the questions (no Googling before listening):

What eyesore did the City Council nearly approve in 1956 that would have been just off the coast of Newport?
What year were Corona del Mar's parking issues first brought to City Hall?
Who was Bob Henry, the namesake of the park on the Castaways bluff?
What amazing find did workers uncovered on the banks of the Back Bay during the construction of the Newporter Inn (now the Hyatt Regency)?
What was Newport Center/Fashion Island's working name during its planning?

2: Newport Beach's Greatest Storyteller Feb 02, 2021

Show notes

If Newport Beach had a Mount Rushmore, Judge Robert Gardner would be on it. Among his legacies: Pioneering bodysurfer, groundbreaking judge and master storyteller whose tales of early Balboa provide the best (and most entertaining) account of the city's early days. Guest: Nancy Gardner, the judge's daughter.

1: Killer Whale Captured Alive in Newport Harbor! Jan 21, 2021

Show notes

In 1961, a wayward killer whale named Wanda was trapped in Newport Harbor by Marineland dolphin hunters, earning her the dubious distinction of being the first orca in the world to be taken into captivity.
The sensational story, which has had a tragic international legacy of more than 50 years, is a largely forgotten chapter in Newport Beach history.