Alcatraz Island Juan Manuel Diaz, who charted San Francisco Bay and named one of the three islands he identified as "La Isla de los Alcatraces," which translates as "The Island of the Gannets" but is commonly believed to translate as "The Island of the Pelicans (Spanish for Pelicans is Pelicanos)," from the archaic Spanish "" ("pelican"). Over the years, the Spanish version "Alcatraz" became popular and is now widely used. In August 1827, French Captain Auguste Bernard Duhaut-Cilly wrote "... running past Alcatraze's (Pelicans) Island ... covered with a countless number of these birds. A gun fired over the feathered legions caused
Alcatraz Island banks of sweet peas, manicured gardens of cutting flowers, and wildly overgrown sections of native grasses with blackberry and honeysuckle. Alcatraz Island appears often in media and popular culture, including films dating from 1962: "The Book of Eli" (2010), "" (2006), "Catch Me If You Can" (2002), "The Rock" (1996), "Murder in the First" (1995), "Escape from Alcatraz" (1979), "The Enforcer" (1976), "Point Blank" (1967) ", Birdman of Alcatraz" (1962) and J. J. Abrams' 2012 television series "Alcatraz". It also was featured in the "Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters" anime, in the book "Al Capone Does My Shirts", in the video game