Topic: Los Angeles History

While it's true that information on the 2.8 million items in the Central Library is on computer servers that take up a tiny space compared to the hundreds of drawers of catalog cards once used, one…

“I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me...all I ask is that you respect me as a human being.”—Jackie RobinsonMany of us know about the phenomenal Jack “Jackie” Roosevelt Robinson. He was a…

Novelist and essayist Eve Babitz grew up in Hollywood. Her work focuses on essay memoirs centered in Los Angeles, particularly in the sixties and early seventies. Since the NYRB classics reissued…

Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, in 1835 and immigrated to the United States in 1848. Landing in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, 13-year-old Andrew Carnegie started working as a bobbin boy…

Happy New Year, Happy Rose Bowl, Happy Football! Did you know that the Rose Bowl Stadium is nearing its 100th year? The story of the Rose Parade and the subsequent football games have been going on…

For someone who only spent about 25 years in Los Angeles, Edwin Cawston made a lasting impression on the cultural history of our great city and he did so through, of all things, a farm. Dubbed by the…

Ostriches versus Turkeys. That age-old problem. (Is it? Well, for this blog post, the answer is yes). Which big bird do we Angelenos love more? And I'm not talking just in the looks department; both…

In a city where no structure is guaranteed permanence, the iconic Bullocks Wilshire building turns an astounding 90 years old this week. The building has superseded its retail beginnings and is seen…

Walkin' in LA, nobody walks in LA; walkin' in LA; walkin' in LA, only a nobody walks in LA—Terry Bozzio, Missing PersonsPeople say Los Angeles is not a very walkable city. As an L.A. native growing up…

Once upon a time in Hollywoodland, 80 years ago today, The Wizard of Oz had its Hollywood Premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theater. The Wizard of Oz lobby card, [1939] On August 15, 1939, the blockbuster…

1969 was a tumultuous year. The US Apollo 11 mission brought men to the moon, and the Beatles gave their final live performance. Richard Nixon was sworn in as President, the war raged on in Vietnam…

Before Mickey and his Magic Kingdom, there was Billie the Alligator and his reptilian pals at the California Alligator Farm. Opened in 1907 and conveniently located opposite Lincoln Park, the farm…

It’s been over forty years, but the water is flowing again at the Fort Moore Pioneer Memorial. If you’ve ever driven on Hill Street between Chinatown and the Civic Center, you have passed by an 80…