LA History

Before the Queen Mary docked in Long Beach, the legendary ocean liner ruled the Atlantic

The British passenger ship was popular with luxury travelers for decades, but it was also a distinguished wartime vessel.

A view from above of a large black, white and red passenger ship that has three smoke stacks. It's docked in the water near buildings and rocks.

60th anniversary of uprising in Watts: Revisiting 40 rare photos uncovered by city intern

These photos had never been seen until a decade ago. The offer a startling look back at the civil unrest that occurred 60 years ago this week.

Storefronts are shattered as people look at the damage from the sidewalk

Was gold buried under LA 5,000 years ago? A legend that drove a saga

A group of miners dug up parts of downtown in search of mythical millions in gold doubloons and tablets.

Looking southeast from Fort Moore Hill during its removal. The area is dirt with a car and an excavator machine. In the background is the U.S. Post Office, courthouse and City Hall.

LA County wants Los Angeles General Hospital listed as a nationally recognized historic site

The site is in early stages of redevelopment to include affordable housing, and is estimated to cost $1 billion.

A woman wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans and navy blue sweater tied around her waist, walks across the campus on crutches. A person wearing all black and a hair net stands to her side. In the background is the 19-story Art Deco hospital.

Marilyn Monroe, RFK, John Belushi: the LA coroner who became 'coroner to the stars'

"He was the godfather of true crime," said Anne Soon Choi, author of L.A. Coroner: Thomas Noguchi and Death in Hollywood.

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A black in white cover of a book with a photo of a man in a white medical coat and the words "L.A. Coroner" in bright yellow

Altadena’s Historic Highlands was spared by the fires. It’s now trying to be LA County’s first historic district

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted to move forward with a designation proposal.

A dark green house with red window paneling is surrounded by bushes. There is a green front lawn and a cement path leads to the home's front door. A large tree sits out front.

The mostly forgotten LA airports that pioneered early travel

Yes, there were once airports in Fairfax, Glendale and Griffith Park.

A black and white view of a biplane, which has two sets of wings, one positioned above the other. Three people are in view sitting in seats on the plane. One is in the center with a hat and goggles on in what appears to be the cockpit.

Remember Barnes City in West LA? Probably not — it left town with the circus

Barnes City was created 100 years ago. And then it disappeared, one of L.A.'s shortest-lived municipalities. What happened to it?

A color illustration from the 1920's advertising Al G. Barnes Circus. There are many lions and tigers and a male trainer, dressed in white shirt, white pants and black boots holding a whip.

‘A view to die for’: The macabre history of the Verdugo Hills Cemetery in Sunland-Tujunga

The cemetery atop a hill contains more than 100 years of Sunland-Tujunga history — and yes, killer views.

A panoramic view from the Verdugo Hills Cemetery in Sunland-Tujunga. Trees, house and rolling hills are in the background.

Why Hollywood Burbank Airport was once disguised to look like a California suburb

Under “Operation Camouflage,” the army brought in Hollywood pros.

A black and white archival view of cars lining the parking lot in front of the Union Air Terminal, which was a wide building with multiple stories peaking from the center.

What is the city of Industry? A brief history of its eyebrow-raising origins

We look into how corporate interests and land control influenced how the city formed.

An aerial view of large industrial buildings with homes in the background.

Your guide to the Manson Family members — and where they are now

Patricia Krenwinkel has been recommended for parole for a second time since 1971 murder conviction. Under the sway of Charles Manson, his followers committed a series of gruesome murders in 1969. The cult leader's Helter Skelter plan terrorized the city and still fascinates more than 50 years later.

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