Here is all you need to know about famous “Hollywood” sign

The famous “Hollywood” sign was vandalised as “Hollyweed” recently, after Californians voted to make recreational use of marijuana legal. Here are some facts about the glamorous sign on the hills:

It was not meant to celebrate movies but real estate. In 1923, a sign called “Hollywoodland” was erected by Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler as a huge billboard for his upscale real-estate development project called Hollywoodland.

It cost $21,000.

It is situated on Mount Lee, in the Hollywood Hills area of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Each of the original 13 letters was 30 feet wide and approximately 43 feet tall, constructed of 3×9 inch metal squares rigged together by an intricate frame of scaffolding, pipes, wires and telephone poles.

The original Hollywoodland sign was lit up by 4,000 light bulbs, The bulbs lit up “HOLLY,” “WOOD” and “LAND” consecutively, followed by the entire word. This was considered quite hip at the time.

By the early 1940s, the Hollywoodland real estate development went bust, a casualty of the Depression. The sign became the property of the city in 1944.

In 1932, at the height of Great Depression, struggling young actor Peg Entwhistle climbed up to the top of the letter “H”, and jumped to her death. She was since known as the Hollywood Sign Girl.