Hollywood

One of the reasons why the movie industry is based in California because filmmakers wanted to get away from Thomas Edison, who owned nearly all film-making patents based in New Jersey. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which covered Los Angeles County, was known not to enforce patent claims.

In 1887 Harvey Wilcox of Kansas started selling off 120 acres he owned in Southern California as a real estate development. His wife, Daeida, named it Hollywood.

Cecil B. DeMille began filming The Squaw Man on December 29, 1913, marking a significant moment in film history. It was not only Hollywood's first feature film, but also DeMille's directorial debut and the first full-length movie produced in what is now Hollywood.

Filming of The Squaw Man took place over just three weeks, primarily in a rented barn that is now known as the Lasky-DeMille Barn and houses the Hollywood Heritage Museum.

The Squaw Man was a commercial success, grossing over $1 million and establishing DeMille and Lasky's company (which later became Paramount Pictures) as major players in the film industry.

The Hollywoodland Sign was officially dedicated in the hills above Hollywood, on July 13, 1923. It was originally an advert for a real estate development. The last four letters of the sign were removed after renovation in 1949.

Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford become the first celebrities to leave their footprints in concrete at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood in 1927.

The first eight brass star plaques were installed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 8, 1960. The first star laid was for director Stanley Kramer.

When Pope John Paul II visited California the Hollywood sign was changed to read Holywood.

It costs $30,000 to get on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A-Listers like Clint Eastwood, Julia Roberts, and Al Pacino don't have a star because they didn't pay.

Snow White, Donald Duck, and Winnie the Pooh all have stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.