Nov. 9, 1906 “All automobile records between...

Nov. 9, 1906 “All automobile records between San Francisco and Los Angeles were smashed yesterday by Fernando Nelson, a northern contractor, who covered the 504 miles in a 1906 40-horsepower Columbia in 18 hours, 13 minutes,” The Times reported. “This is three hours better than any previous record.” Nelson arrived in Los Angeles, “down the Broadway hill from the tunnel, with horn tooting loudly and his joyous passengers cheering to the limit of their lung strengths.”

Encountering delays with horses and buggies and a wild black stallion, Nelson lamented that “once in a while, men are encountered who hate the automobile with a devil’s hate, and who are meaner than is believable.” He averaged 28 miles per hour, with two breaks for “good square meals.” The Southern Pacific Railroad was then making the San Francisco-Los Angeles run in 16 hours. YESTERDAYS Twenty-five years ago this week, Gibraltar Savings was offering Blue Chip Stamps to new customers--50 stamps for each $50 deposited . . . Bullock’s stocked jeweled Orlon (a new thrill) cardigans for $11.95 . . . Sunday night TV was a choice between “General Electric Theater” (hosted by Ronald Reagan), “The Dinah Shore Chevy Show” (Dinah reminded everyone to see the U.S.A. in a Chevrolet and blew us a big kiss) and Nick Adams in “The Rebel” . . . Homes in the new Montecillo tract in Rolling Hills Estates started at $33,500 . . . Art theaters, as they were then called, offered “Hiroshima Mon Amour” (at the Beverly Canon), “School for Scoundrels” (at the Music Hall) and Kurosawa’s “Ikiru” (at the Vagabond). CELEBRATIONS Today is Sandwich Day, honoring John Montague, fourth Earl of Sandwich, who was born on this date in 1718 and is credited with having invented the sandwich as a quick meal while he sat at a gambling table . . . Will Rogers was born on Nov. 4, 1879 . . . Roy Rogers was born on Nov. 5, 1911 . . . Los Angeles Unified School District board member Roberta Weintraub shares the same birthday. She was born in 1935 . . . Edmund Halley (of you-know-what fame) was born on Nov. 8, 1656 . . . Friday is Abet and Aid Punsters Day . . . Prohibition was repealed 52 years ago Friday. EVENTS Edwards Air Force Base Open House today; (805) 277-3510 . . . Annual Death Valley ‘49ers Encampment, Furnace Creek, Nov. 7-10; (619) 786-2331 . . . Pilgrim Festival, Claremont, Nov. 8-9; (714) 621-9581 . . . Indio’s Hot Air Balloon Festival, Nov. 9-10; (619) 347-0676.