Exploring the Vibrant Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco

In 1984, two San Francisco activists helped save the queer bar scene from gentrification by throwing a street festival called “Megahood.” Now, the Folsom Street Fair is the largest leather event in the world, with over 400,000 people attending each year. . For more on the history of the Folsom Street Fair, see: . Gayle S. Rubin, “Elegy for the Valley of Kings: AIDS and the Leather Community in San Francisco,” Sexualities: Difference and the Diversity of Sexualities, Taylor & Francis, 2002. . Kat

July 13, 1895 On this day in 1895, the first long-distance transmission of hydroelectric power from the Folsom Hydroelectric Plant (now known as the Folsom Powerhouse) to Sacramento occurred on what was then the longest transmission line in the world. The 22-mile transmission line, powered by high-voltage alternating current generators, expanded the Sacramento Electric Power and Light Company to extend streetcar lines into suburbs in Sacramento, provide street lights in the city, and provided po