Foreword
The Walkable Historical Timeline is a major component of a larger public history program at the Great Park that includes substantial archival and architectural preservation, an extensive oral history collection, and comprehensive photographic documentation of the former Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro. It serves as a strong intellectual “spine” for the entire Great Park and introduces visitors to significant events in global, national, state, and regional history. The Walkable Historical Timeline is presented in three sections: (1) “The Origins of Our Time,” which covers a vast span of human history from the arrival of our species in the Americas during roughly 13,000–11,000 BC to the troubled 1930s; (2) “An Age of Global War, 1939–1949,” which focuses on the decade during which the former Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro was established and fulfilled important wartime missions in World War II and the early Cold War; and (3) “The Cold War, 1950 to 1990,” which deals with the years of the increasingly intense conflict that developed after the Korean War between nations of the democratic world (led by the United States) and those of the communist world (of which the Soviet Union and People’s Republic of China were the most powerful). Interestingly, when the Cold War ended peacefully in 1990 (thus making the closure of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro possible), it marked one of the few times in world history that major powers terminated their struggles without waging armed conflict directly against each other. In selecting Timeline entries we have been guided by several considerations. The first is geographical, since we have chosen, especially in the third (more recent) section, to focus disproportionately upon events relating to our immediate Orange County region, California, and the United States. A second consideration relates to time. While the Timeline incorporates many significant developments from earlier times, it is structured to emphasize modern, and especially twentieth century, history. A third consideration is topical. We thought it important to select events that highlight social and cultural changes as well as economic, political, and military innovations. Our list of notable events is intended to be suggestive rather than exhaustive. We fully realize that anyone visiting the Timeline might make somewhat different selections, even if their criteria for choice were similar to our own. This is one reason we provide a Handbook Guide to accompany you as you explore the Timeline. It includes brief descriptions which we hope will clarify each entry’s significance while provoking further inquiry among its readers regarding the deeper meanings of these and alternative turning points in human history. Milestone headlines pertaining to Orange County are highlighted with this orange “OC“ icon: In future years the Walkable Historical Timeline will be expanded to include visual exhibits, artifacts, and interactive experiences such as music and film. It will thereby serve as yet another physical place within the Great Park that is accessible and attractive to everyone. We hope you enjoy and learn from the Timeline and invite you to watch it grow in coming years.
Keith L. Nelson and Spencer C. Olin Professors Emeriti of History University of California, Irvine
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