Chad of All Things

In the early morning hours of April 18th, 1908, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck just two miles southwest of San Francisco. The destructive power of the quake itself was overshadowed by the enormous fires that burned for four days and nights afterward. In honor of the 103rd anniversary of this disaster, the San Francisco Chronicle [...]

San Francisco is full of uncommon fixtures but perhaps the most unknown is the “Tuesday noon siren.” Officially called the “Outdoor Warning System,” or OWS, it consists of 65 sirens located throughout San Francisco, including both Yerba Buena and Treasure Islands. Every Tuesday, at noon on-the-dot, the sirens scream out in unison for 15 seconds. [...]