Today in Disneyland history: March 4, 1980 – Fotomat rents the very first official Disney VHS and Beta cassettes via the ubiquitous drive-thru kiosks in Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, and the San Francisco / Bay area. By 1981 Disney Home Video expanded their rental program to other authorized rental outlets and Fotomat’s rental business began it’s…
Walt Disney Birthplace Preservation Project
Many of the places that helped make Walt Disney who he was and what we loved are gone but not forgotten. One such place is the home he, and Roy, was born in – 2156 Tripp Ave., Chicago, IL. Want to be a tiny (or big) part of Walt Disney history? Contribute a few dollars…
Disneyland from way up, Then & Now
Things have changed a little at Disneyland since the park opened. Here are two aerial photos from 1955 and 2015. Drag the slider back and forth to see the differences.
Plants of Disneyland
It’s not a real plant, but the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse is pretty close to real. The Cooperative Welding and Mfg. Co. (Cowelco) built the super structure for the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse for Disneyland in 1962. According to PlantsOfDisneyland.com, the Moreton Bay Fig Tree in Anaheim was a model for the Disney Imagineers while…
An Emperor at Disneyland
Emperor of Japan Michinomiya Hirohito (1926-1989) is primarily known to America for surrendering to allied forces during World War II in August 1945. 30 years later on October 8, 1975 he and his wife, Japanese Empress Dowager Nagako, visited Disneyland during a trip to the United States. The couple were the first high-profile guests to…
Girl, 4, Disneyland’s 5 Millionth Visitor
By Bob Beckman Four-year-old Debra Rutherford knew Disneyland was going to be wonderful. When she arrived Wednesday it exceeded her wildest dreams. It was her insistence – and that of her 3-year-old sister Patricia – that convinced their parents Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Rutherford, to travel hear from their home in Quincy, Wash. They…