Previous Episodes 1-75

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Clarence Darrow is probably best known as being the attorney in the Scopes Monkey Trial. But what is lesser known is that he represented two brothers accused of bombing the L.A. Times building in 1910 before Darrow himself was put on trial for allegedly bribing a juror.

Pentacostalism is a movement within Christianity which today has hundreds of millions of followers around the globe. But what is lessor known is that the modern day Pentacostal movement traces its origins back to a street in the Little Tokyo section of Downtown Los Angeles. 

In 1871, approximately 500 Los Angeles residents, almost one tenth of the city's population, laid siege to L.A.'s original Chinatown and lynched 18 Chinese immigrants, making it the largest incident of mass lynching in American history. 

Everybody knows that the name Los Angeles is Spanish in origin. But what is lessor known is that there is no agreement as to what the original name given to Los Angeles by its founders was back in 1781. This episode explores the debate over LA's original name. 

Everyone has heard the story of Los Angeles stealing water. But what is lesser known is that a dam that was built to store water from the Owens Valley collapsed in 1928 resulting in the death of at least 600 people. 

Echo Park is the name of a park and lake as well as the neighborhood which surrounds it just north of downtown Los Angeles. This edpisode looks into the origin of the name "Echo Park."

In 1870, L.A.'s City Marshall, William Warren, was shot and killed, making him the first regularly employed L.A.P.D. officer to be killed in the line of duty. But Warren wasn't killed tryng to stop a crime. Instead, he was killed by another L.A.P.D. officer in connection with a dispute over a reward for recovering a runaway Chinese prostitute. This podcast tells the story of the shooting of William Warren. 

This episode tells the story behind a bizarre auction that occurred in downtown Los Angeles during the 1850s.

This episode explores two stories of the California Dream - a murder mystery and a mythical tale. 

This episode discusses the origin of the names Azusa and Pasadena. 

In 1785, a group of Native Americans revolted against the Spanish at Mission San Gabriel. This episode tells the story of one of the members of the rebellion named Toypurina. 

During the 1930s, a cafeteria owner named Clifford Clinton began an unlikely crusade against corruption in Los Angeles. This episode tells the story of Clifford Clinton. 

This episode explores the history of L.A.'s never built freeways. 

This episode explores some of the times where Los Angeles has served as a battlefield. 

This episode discusses an incident in 1855, when Los Angeles Mayor Stephen C. Foster took the law into his own hands. 

This episode discusses the oldest and newest freeways in Los Angeles and what they tell us about the city. 

This episode explores the story behind the namesake for Griffith Park and Griffith Observatory, Colonel Griffith J. Griffith. 

Today, terrorism is a major concern in Los Angeles. But many Angelenos would likely be surprised to learn that L.A. has, in decades past, been the target of multiple terrorist attacks. 

This episode tells the story behind L.A.'s first subway which operated between 1925 and 1955. 

This episode tells the story of Tiburcio Vasquez, a bandit who was active throughout California during the mid-nineteenth century.

This episode tells the story of California's first Attorney General and L.A.'s seventh District Attorney, Edward Kewen.

The Triforium is a six-story, 60-ton public sculpture on the corner of Temple and Main Streets in downtown that was supposed to be a symbol of L.A.'s future. Unfortunately, technical problems plagued the project from the beginning and made it the subject of much ridicule. Now a group of L.A. enthusiasts want to restore the piece and realize the project's ambitious vision. This episode discusses the history of the Triforium and includes an interview with Tom Carroll, the creator and host of the web series "Tom Explores Los Angeles," who is involved in the restoration effort.

Why does the 2 freeway end abruptly in Echo Park? To answer the question, we must delve into the history of freeway development in Los Angeles and the world of L.A.'s never built freeways. 

This episode tells the story of Mack Robinson, a silver medalist who came in second to Jesse Owens in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, as well as his relationship to his hometown of Pasadena.

Why are there peacocks in Arcadia? To answer the question, we must go back over a hundred years and learn about the founding of the City of Arcadia.

In anticipation of his July 16, 2016 performance at Boston Court in Pasadena with his Discovery Project, a multimedia project which explores the past, present and future of Los Angeles, Robert interviews the piano player and composer Josh Nelson about the show and writing music about Los Angeles.   

Why are there huge holes in the ground off the 210 and 605 freeways in Irwindale? This episode answers the question while also exploring the history of Irwindale and how these holes are connected to the greater Los Angeles area. 

This episode tells the story of Angels Flight, L.A.'s beloved funicular, and the effort to get it re-opened, including an interview with local historian Richard Schave.

What is the oldest building that is still standing in the City of Los Angeles? The answer is not as simple as you might think.

How does a well established Los Angeles neighborhood name disappear? This episode tells the story of Pico Heights. 

With its concrete walls and customary meager flow of water, the L.A. River has often been derided as being ugly. So how did this river, which at one point served as the lifeblood of this community, become a glorified storm drain? Find out in the latest episode of Q&A L.A. 

This episode tells the story of one of the most notorious hotels in Los Angeles. 

On the corner of Colorado Boulevard and Holliston Street in Pasadena stands a concrete tablet that looks like a tombstone. Even though it looks out of place, it is probably the oldest thing on that street corner - a long-lost ancestor of the navigation system on your phone. This episode tells the story. 

When was the first time a car rode the streets of Los Angeles? This episode tells the story.

John Parkinson is L.A.'s most important, but often forgotten, architect. 

On a mountain above Los Angeles, a group of astronomers at the Mount Wilson Observatory forever changed our understanding of the Universe. 

Charlotta Bass was a trailblazing journalist and fierce advocate for civil rights, but few Angelenos have heard of her name. This episode tells the story. 

What is the proper way to pronounce "Los Angeles?" The episode examines the history of pronouncing the city's name.

The episode features an interview with Gary Krist about his new book The Mirage Factory: Illusion, Imagination, and the Invention of Los Angeles. 

John Cage was one of the most influential and notorious avant garde music composers of the 20th Century. And he grew up in Los Angeles. 

This episode looks into why there are so many Craftsman houses in Pasadena and features an interview with Brian Baker from Pasadena Heritage about their upcoming Craftsman Weekend event.

This episode tells the story of three laws that shaped the downtown Los Angeles skyline.

An interview with David Kipen about his new book Dear Los Angeles: The City in Diaries and Letters, 1542 to 2018.

Eric Dolphy was a multi-instrumentalist jazz virtuoso who played with the likes of John Coltrane and Charles Mingus. And he grew up in Los Angeles. 

There are thousands of freeway soundwalls across the United States, but their origin can be traced to Los Angeles. This episode grew out of a radio piece I did for the show Take Two on KPCC 89.3 FM and a corresponding written piece for LAist.

In Old Town Pasadena there is a historical plaque which doesn't tell the whole story. 

The fourth season of KCET's Emmy winning documentary series Lost LA premieres October 15 so I sat down with the show's host, writer and L.A. historian Nathan Masters, to talk about the show and upcoming season. 

The episode features an interview with Josh Kun about his latest book, The Autograph Book of L.A.

What can a country song about driving on Los Angeles freeways tell us about our city? This episode examines Guy Clark's song L.A. Freeway and the city's connection to country music.

This episode examines Disney history in Los Angeles and features an interview with Chris Nichols about his book Walt Disney's Disneyland.

This episode features an interview with Susan Phillips about her book The City Beneath: A Century of Los Angeles Graffiti.

Carol Kaye is a Los Angeles musician you have definitely heard, but likely haven't heard of.

This episode features an interview with Casey Schreiner regarding his new book "Discovering Griffith Park: A Local's Guide."

This episode features an interview with Jon Wiener regarding his new book, Set the Night on Fire: L.A. in the Sixties, which he co-authored with Mike Davis. The book provides a comprehensive history of the civil rights movement in Los Angeles during the 1960s. 

This episode explores the origins of the name Wilshire Boulevard.

This episode explores the time Malcom X spent in Los Angeles, which included a high speed car chase on the freeway, an assassination attempt, and an L.A.P.D. shooting.

This episode features an interview with D.J. Waldie about his new book "Becoming Los Angeles: Myth, Memory, and a Sense of Place."

This episode explores the origin of the name Rodeo Drive.

With a short trip into the mountains near Los Angeles, in Big Santa Anita Canyon, you can step back in time to theGreat Hiking Era of the early 20th century. This episode also features an interview with Maggie Moran, owner of Adams Pack Station, regarding the current situation in the canyon after the Bobcat Fire.
Check out the Go Fund Me for Adams Pack Station. 

This episode features an interview with historian Nathan Marsak regarding his new book "Bunker Hill Los Angeles."

This episode features an interview with Jason Horton about his book "Abandoned and Historic Los Angeles: Neon and Beyond."

This episode features an interview with Andrea Richards and Teena Apeles about their book "We Heart L.A. Parks," a coloring and activity book for all ages.

This episode features an interview with Martha Gonzalez, lead singer of the L.A. band Quetzal, about her book "Chicana Artivistas: Music, Community, and Transborder Tactics in East Los Angeles."

This episode features an interview with Catherine Auman about her book "Guide to Spiritual L.A.: The Irreverent, the Awake, and the True.

Dootsie Williams was a trailblazing black music executive and entrepreneur who left an impact on the music industry and his community. 

This episode features an interview with historian William Deverell regarding his latest book, "Kathy Fiscus: A Tragedy That Transfixed The Nation."

This episode tells the story behind a grave site in Altadena.

This episode features an interview with Ken Bernstein about his book, "Preserving Los Angeles: How Historic Places Can Transform America's Cities."

In this episode, guest host Leah Treidler tells the story behind the city's iconic palm trees.

In this special crossover episode, I interview, and get interviewed by, Daniel Zafran and Greg Gonzalez from the L.A. Meekly podcast. 

This episode features an interview with Paul Haddad regarding his book, "Freewaytopia: How Freeways Shaped Los Angeles."

L.A. Names: Pico Boulevard HHLA73

This episode features an interview with Natalia Molina about her new book, "A Place at the Nayarit: How a Mexican Restaurant Nourished a Community."

My friend, Eyvin Hernandez, is being unlawfully detained in Venezuela. Listen to the episode to learn about Eyvin and what we can do to bring him home. Sign the online petition: https://www.change.org/p/bring-eyvin-hernandez-home. Make a donation: https://gofund.me/4117b3cb. Learn more: https://bringeyvinhome.org/. 

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This episode is about the time the legendary jazz saxophonist, Charlie Parker, spent in Los Angeles, which included epic jam sessions and recordings, but also drugs, debauchery, a stay at a mental institution, and a "naked" party.