As a kid in the 70s, there were many news items, mysteries and legends that always intrigued me: spectacular plane crashes, the Loch Ness Monster, UFOs, Hal Lindsey, Bigfoot and, of course, D.B. Cooper.

The mild-mannered Cooper (Dan Cooper, according to a possible alias on a flight ticket), hijacked a Portland-to-Seattle flight in 1971 almost to the date (November 24), extorted cash, then promptly jumped out of the airplane in a parachute, never to be found again.

Though bundled money was found in the 80s near Vancouver, Wash., Cooper or his remains (if he did indeed not make his own successful landing with a parachute) have never been found.

If you’re interested in learning more about the hijacking incident, the man himself, aviation history and Portland’s involvement in it all, attend this Sunday’s D.B. Cooper Night, produced by Kick Ass Oregon History.

The event will be held at Mississippi Studios (3939 N. Mississippi, Portland, OR) on Sunday November 20th at 7:30pm.

DB Cooper Night will (honor? celebrate? recognize? condemn?) and note the 40th anniversary of the only unsolved skyjacking in United States Aviation History. Music, drink specials, giveaways and good times in honor of a Portland legend. Sounds like good times.

I love when history and technology meet. The What Was There site (and app) is a perfect example of mashing old technology (photography) and newer tech (Google Street View maps). Essentially you get a “then” photo with the ability to drag your mouse to see the “now” version.

Closer to home, the folks behind the Dill Pickle Club are trying to launch a free Portland social history app and website called Know Your City. The app and website will utilize mapping and smart phone technology to create greater awareness of Portland’s history, culture and diversity through video, audio, photos and text. The project “aims to provide a holistic view of how neighborhoods change over time to deepen our understanding of Portland.”

The app will feature a Google map, with pinpoints around town. By clicking on the pinpoint, users will be able to learn about local buildings, historical tidbits and the stories behind Portland’s past, through illustrations, video or articles. The package we received had illustrations by Kate Bingaman Burt, creator of favorite Obsessive Consumption so this’ll be guaranteed to be top notch.

Here’s the catch, though. If you want to enjoy this free app, organizers need to raise more than $9,000 in the next 35 days to make the project possible.

They’re using Kickstarter, a social networking fundraising website, to raise the capital needed to pay for the app’s development. If they reach their goal, they will make the app free and available to everyone. If they don’t reach this amount, they won’t be able to dedicate the resources needed to implement the program.

Cool project and worth donating to. Check out how here.

Intricate iron work on A.E. Doyle’s Bank of California building.

Then and now. Currently houses Mi Famiglia Pizza.