The Story of Hollywood Sign, Emblem of LA

Known around the world as an emblem of Los Angeles, the Hollywood Sign had its beginnings in late 1923, when a peculiar sign first caught the eyes of Angelenos, luring them towards the Hollywood Hills.

At night, a portmanteau lit up word by word - Holly, Wood, Land - before the full name of a new real estate development flashed across the hillside.

It was a spectacle meant to attract prospective homeowners to Hollywoodland, a new housing community developed by a group of local real estate titans that included General Moses Sherman and Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler.