The verified public history behind these places.
Real, sourced landmarks and historical moments — what they are, and what you’d need to actually go see one.
Rosie the Riveter / WWII Home Front
Richmond · National Historical Park
A National Historical Park preserving Richmond’s role as a WWII wartime boomtown, including the Kaiser shipyards and the Ford Assembly Plant, once the largest on the West Coast. The park honors the estimated 18 million American women who joined the wartime workforce. On most Fridays, visitors can meet real Home Front workers from the era in person.
Cerrito Theater
El Cerrito · Since 1937
An Art Deco movie palace that opened in 1937, sat dark for decades, and was restored by a resident-led nonprofit before reopening in 2006. Today it’s operated as Rialto Cinemas Cerrito, mixing first-run films, classics and community events, with beer, wine and food served in a casual setting.
Free Speech Movement
UC Berkeley · 1964
In fall 1964, student protests centered on Sproul Plaza led UC Berkeley to lift its ban on political activity on campus, after a peaceful three-month effort by students and faculty. Remembered as a foundational moment in student activism nationally.
Alvarado Adobe
San Pablo · Built 1842
Built in 1842 for Doña Gabriela Berryessa de Castro, and named for her son-in-law Juan Bautista Alvarado, Governor of California from 1836–1842. The original adobe was demolished in 1954; a replica now stands at the Alvarado Square Civic Center, which opened in 1978 on the same site.
Fernandez Mansion
Pinole · Built 1894
A 22-room mansion built in 1894 for Bernardo Fernandez, a Portuguese immigrant who arrived in Pinole in 1853 and built the town’s early waterfront trade — warehouses, wharves, a supply store and post office. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it has been privately owned by the Mariotti family since 1969.
Golden Gate Bridge
San Francisco · Opened 1937
Opened May 27, 1937, and designed by chief engineer Joseph Strauss at a cost of $35 million, the Golden Gate Bridge was the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world at the time. Still one of the most recognized structures on Earth, connecting San Francisco to Marin County.
Cable Cars
San Francisco · Running Since 1873
Invented by Andrew Smith Hallidie and first tested at 4am on August 2, 1873, on Clay Street. Today’s three lines — Powell-Hyde, Powell-Mason and California Street — are operated by SFMTA/Muni and remain the only moving National Historic Landmark in the country.