1

It was originally an advertisement

Image: Emma Timmers

Have you ever wondered why the sign exists at all? After all, not many cities display neighborhood names on a nearby hill . When the sign was first erected in 1923, it was simply a billboard promoting a real estate development, and it was supposed to stand for only about 18 months.

2

It used to be longer

Image: Sarah Sheedy

The sign originally read "Hollywoodland" , the name of a new housing development that promised wealthy buyers unique views of the sunny hills of Los Angeles. So, they stuck a gigantic sign on Mount Lee. Just temporary , they said. Just for marketing .

Over 20 years later, the district had become more culturally relevant than the housing development, but people had grown used to the sight by then. So, they decided to let go of four letters. Each cost a fortune to maintain anyway.

3

It used to be bigger

Image: Eliot

The original "Hollywoodland" sign was massive. Each letter stood 43 feet tall and stretched 30 feet across. They were made from thin metal panels slapped onto wooden frames and held up by telephone poles.

It dazzled from afar, but up close, it was a wobbly mess . The construction was so flimsy that by the 1930s, some of the letters were already tilting, cracking, or sliding out of place.

4

It’s appeared in more movies than most actors

Image: Ramaz Bluashvili

Doesn’t that fact make you giggle? It’s not Bette Davis, and it’s not Anthony Hopkins—it’s the Hollywood Sign that has more movie credits .

Aliens have blown it up. Earthquakes have toppled it. Sharks have flown right through it. But it’s also been the backdrop for kisses, chases, and friendship montages. Directors love it because it screams "L.A." in three seconds flat.

5

Technically, it’s not in Hollywood

Image: RDNE Stock project

The Hollywood Sign doesn’t actually sit within the neighborhood of Hollywood—it stands atop Mount Lee, inside Griffith Park, which is managed by the City of Los Angeles . So while it may say Hollywood , it’s not technically in Hollywood.

6

It’s been rebuilt twice

Image: Gerald Schömbs

By the 1940s, the city stepped in and gave the sign a minor facelift. After the crumbling "LAND" was scrapped, the remaining letters were patched up.

But by 1978, the sign was in serious trouble again—rusted, leaning, and on the verge of collapse, it was deemed beyond repair. This time, Hollywood did what it does best: rebooted it entirely . A new sign was built from scratch, using steel beams and concrete foundations.

7

Celebrities "sponsored" letters

Image: Joseph Menjivar

When Hollywood cried for help in the late ’70s, it was Playboy founder Hugh Hefner who stepped in. The city didn’t have the funds to rebuild the sign, so Hefner threw a glitzy fundraiser to find sponsors for each of the nine letters, at $27,777 apiece.

And it worked. Alice Cooper funded the "O" in memory of Groucho Marx. Gene Autry sponsored the second "L." Even Warner Bros. chipped in.

8

No public trail leads directly to it

Image: Venti Views

Perhaps you’ve heard a disappointed tourist complain about this before: You can hike near it. You can pose below it. But actually walking up to the letters is a no-go. The trails in Griffith Park will get you close, with plenty of Instagram-worthy views. But conservation efforts mean you’ll never legally stand between the "L"s.

One reason is that decades ago, it was easier to reach the sign—and some fans even climbed the letters.

9

The land surrounding it was once nearly sold for development

Image: izayah ramos

In the early 2000s, developers had their eyes on the land behind the sign. The plan was to construct luxury homes in the hills with killer views. But the public response was pure outrage.

Enter Hugh Hefner (again), along with celebrities and conservation groups , who raised over $12 million to save the land. Today, those hills are permanently protected.

10

It has its own security team

Image: Lukas Geck

As mentioned earlier, you can’t get a selfie next to the "H" because the sign is off-limits to the public. It’s monitored 24/7 with infrared cameras, motion sensors, microphones, and regular patrols. Some hikers still try their luck, but trespassing can lead to citations, fines, and in some cases, arrest.

11

It’s copyrighted; you can’t just slap it on a T-shirt

Image: Simon Ray

Call a lawyer before you print the Hollywood Sign on your merch. Some trademark rights to the sign are owned by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. That means any commercial use—like shirts, mugs, or movie scenes— requires a license . Even photographers have to tread carefully.

12

Helicopters were used to move the letters

Image: Somchai Kongkamsri

The letters have been helicoptered off before. In 1978, when the new sign was being installed, the old, rusted letters had to go. But since you can’t exactly wheel 50-foot steel slabs down a hiking trail, helicopters came to the rescue.

One by one, the original letters were airlifted off the mountain in a strange, sky-high farewell. It was quite an event, and crowds gathered to watch.

1

Sam and Ella’s

Image: Jason Leung

We get it—you and your significant other built a restaurant and decided to name it after yourselves. Good for you. But if, by any chance, your combined names sound like a food poisoning illness , that might not be the best choice for a restaurant.

The restaurant could have easily been named Ella and Sam’s, to avoid this issue. But maybe, and just maybe, the couple had a twisted sense of humor and decided to go with it and see how it would turn out.

2

ChubbyBrain

Image: Jakub Żerdzicki

What does this name bring to mind? The image of a chubby brain is probably not an appealing one, and it certainly doesn’t convey the idea of a venture capitalist database. Yet, that’s exactly what ChubbyBrain is.

If your business needs funding, this company will analyze its database of venture capitalists, grant providers, and investors and match you up with those who would be most sympathetic to your cause , thus maximizing your chance of successful fundraising. A valuable service, hidden behind a weird name, indeed.

3

Wesabe

Image: Andre Taissin

A word that sounds similar to a Japanese sushi condiment was chosen as the name for this company, founded in 2005 to help users track their spending habits. The idea was a noble one: assist people in getting out of debt and learning how to make wise financial decisions.

But, alas, the company was not able to attract an audience. The name Wesabe was likely intended as a play on "We Save," but it didn’t translate that easily and it ended up being a nonsensical name for a good idea.

4

Cuil

Image: Growtika

There was a time when search engines were more diverse and prevalent than they are today, at least for the general public. Before Google became the giant it is now, Altavista, AskJeeves, Lycos, Yahoo!, and others were the go-to sites for browsing the web.

Cuil was one of those search engines, it boasted the largest search index and the fastest queries . But, for some reason, it shut down in 2010. The name might have played a part in that, as it had no connection to searching and its pronunciation was unclear. Granted, many search engines had equally odd names and still made it. But it certainly didn’t help in Cuil’s case.

5

Boring Business Systems

Image: Rodeo Project Management Software

If your name is also a word, with a meaning attached to it, then it would be wise to consider if associating it with a product or service is a good idea, or not. Named after one of its original executives, Allan D. Boring, this network services and IT support company is unashamed of its namesake. In fact, it embraces it, assuring outsiders that there is "nothing boring" about its features and services.

6

Xobni

Image: Solen Feyissa

One would be hard-pressed to link this name to a product or service, that is, unless you were looking at it reflected in a mirror because Xobni is "Inbox" spelled backward. Yes, this company made email-related products , until it shut down in 2014.

Besides the unoriginal idea of simply spelling your product name backward, it doesn’t help if the resulting word sounds odd and unrelatable.

7

Lawdingo

Image: Tingey Injury Law Firm

The idea of having a Saul Goodman-type lawyer might be appealing to some, but for the most part, people believe that the law is serious business and should be treated as such. Lawdingo is a web service that provides affordable legal advice for both individuals and businesses.

While the idea behind it seems great, the word "dingo" can hardly be associated with the kind of characteristics one searches for in a law firm, like quality and professionalism.

8

Qwikster

Image: Phil Hearing

When choosing a literal brand name, it’s generally a good practice to select one that clearly associates with the product or service offered. Qwikster was a company launched by Netflix in 2011 to focus on the DVD-by-mail service branch of the business.

According to the people in charge, the name Qwikster was chosen because it referred to quick delivery. Or at least that is what they thought. While the name does have a rhythmic quality, it doesn’t really connect to the service it was meant to represent.

9

AmericInn Hotel

Image: Marten Bjork

Some brands thrive despite having less-than-ideal names. AmericInn Hotel is a mid-priced hotel franchise consisting of 240 locations across the U.S. While AmericInn has done arguably well for itself, one can only wonder how much better it might have performed with a different name.

The problem isn't the name itself, but its awkward spelling. Any brand thinking about purposefully misspelling common words, should proceed with extreme caution and only use this resource if it truly makes business sense.

10

Backrub

Image: Greg Bulla

As strange as Google might have sounded at first, BackRub would have sounded even weirder had it gained the same level of recognition. Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin named their first search engine BackRub in 1996. A year later, BackRub became too large to operate on the Stanford University servers that hosted the website, prompting them to register the now-familiar domain name Google.com.

While using the expression "rub it" in the same way we use "google it" today might have been a possibility, it certainly does not have the same ring to it.

1

Althea Gibson

Image: Josephine Gasser

Born in 1927, Althea Gibson was an American tennis player and a professional golfer. As a sportswoman her ability was extraordinary, but her major achievement was breaking the color barrier in tennis in the 1950s.

Althea was the first African-American woman to play the U.S. National Championships and the first black woman to win a Grand Slam in 1956.

She won 11 Grand Slams, five singles titles, five doubles, and one mixed doubles title. And she opened the door for other black sportswomen to be under the spotlight. Quite impressive, right?

2

Eleanor Roosevelt

Image: René DeAnda

If aviation or sports were controversial places for women, imagine politics! But that didn’t stop Eleanor Roosevelt, a key figure in American politics .

As Franklin D. Roosevelt’s wife, who presided over America from 1933 to 1945, Eleanor was the longest-serving first lady of the United States and, as such she was unwaveringly committed to the people. She redefined the concept of the first lady.

She advocated for human rights and social justice and used her position to work for women, African Americans, and the impoverished. And to top it all, she was a central figure in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

3

Amelia Earhart

Image: Tomas Martinez

Even if she was born in 1897, Amelia is considered a key figure of the 20th century because she was an aviation pioneer . As such she broke several records: She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic and the first to promote commercial air travel.

But that wasn’t all, Amelia was an activist for women’s rights and wrote best-selling books narrating her adventures as a pilot. The mysteries behind her disappearance during her flight across the Pacific only made her a bigger icon.

4

Estée Lauder

Image: Towfiqu barbhuiya

Most of the professions held by the women in this article are accepted for women today, but not so long ago, being a woman and a successful businessperson wasn’t very common: That was the case with Estéé Lauder who launched her eponymous cosmetics company with her husband.

The brand's success never went unnoticed and it is a best-selling company in the present world. But to top her achievements, Lauder was listed as one of the 20 most influential businesspeople of the century!

5

Aretha Franklin

Image: Alberto Bigoni

During the 20th century, the music industry has seen some of the best singers and songwriters of all time. America has no shortage of talented musicians, but being named the Queen of Soul is something else altogether!

Aretha was a black singer, songwriter, and pianist, and her music gained her the Rolling Stones magazine recognition of "Greatest Singer of All Time" not once, but twice! Not to mention the 18 Grammy Awards or the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among other acknowledgments.

Her music has inspired millions of people around the world and it is still a reference in music and culture today.

6

Marilyn Monroe

Image: Jarvik Joshi

Marylin doesn’t need any kind of introduction, does she? She was and still is to this day a pop culture icon. Her work as an actress had a massive impact on the entertainment industry, but her work as a model did something else to the fashion industry: She was known as the "blonde bombshell" and gave birth to a true revolution in terms of body shapes, relationships, and more.

Influential and controversial depending on who talked about her, she was living proof that there is no such thing as bad marketing: All things considered, she still was the best-paid Hollywood actress of the time.

7

Helen Keller

Image: Aaron Burden

Keller’s story is both shocking and inspiring at the same time. At only 19 months of age, Hellen lost her sight and hearing due to an illness. But having a rough childhood never stopped her. Instead, and despite her disability, she became an advocate for the rights of disabled people, a political activist, and a lecturer.

She wrote 14 books, and hundreds of speeches and fought for women’s right to vote, labor rights, and world peace. If you want to be inspired by her story, you can read her autobiography The Story of My Life .

8

Julia Child

Image: Alyson McPhee

French cuisine is exquisite and we’ve got Julia Child to thank for the fact that we Americans know about it. Child revolutionized American cooking by bringing French cuisine to America through her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and her television show "The French Chef."

In her TV show, Child taught French cooking techniques in a way that is accessible to everyone. She was approachable and enthusiastic which made her an influential figure beyond the kitchen, she was a cultural icon.

9

Toni Morrison

Image: Olga Tutunaru

In the field of literature, Morrison is our chosen one since she was a true giant. Toni Morrison wrote novels that deeply influenced American literature and culture as well.

Her writing made her the first African American woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. In her novels, like Beloved, Sula, and Song of Solomon , Morrison explores the topics of identity, race, history, and heritage. Her characters offer deep insights into the African American experience and humanity which makes her legacy an everlasting one.

10

Rosa Parks

Image: Ant Rozetsky

No article about influential women of the 20th century would be complete if we didn’t mention Rosa Parks.

In 1955, she refused to give her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Her courageous act of defiance sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and initiated the modern Civil Rights Movement. With a simple, but huge action, she challenged the whole system of racial segregation and inspired a nationwide movement for equality.

The bus boycott was the beginning, yet her work continued beyond that as she fought tirelessly for civil rights for the rest of her life.