Category Archives: Politics

China Bans Traditional Clothing for Western Fashions

Jan. 3, 1913: The Chinese government issues an edict against traditional clothing in favor of Western fashions. Women were called upon “to abandon their trousers for the occidental skirt and men to give up their comfortable loose clothes for the … Continue reading

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Posted in 1913, Crime and Courts, Education, Fashion, Film, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Millennial Moment: Soviets at Stalemate in Afghanistan, U.S. Economy Worst in Four Decades

Licorice Pizza! Michael Jackson’s “Thriller!” Men at Work! Kenny Loggins! Stray Cats! J. Geils Band! Foreigner! Dec. 19, 1982:  In the lead story, Times reporter Tyler Marshall says: “Despite three years of increasingly intense military operations and deepening political involvement, … Continue reading

Posted in 1982, Film, Hollywood, Millennial Moments, Music, Politics, Washington | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Celebrity Politicians: Hollywood’s Honorary Mayors, Part I

Photo: Hugh Herbert, honorary mayor of Studio City, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Tomorrow is election day. Elections and politics are important to everyone, be they Joe Citizen or Joseph Kennedy. Over the years, celebrities have entered the political arena, some … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Politics, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Millennial Moment: Hit Man Says Car Dealer Belongs to Mafia

Oct. 18, 1980: In one of the more unusual revelations in testimony by admitted hit man Jimmy “the Weasel” Fratianno, El Monte Toyota dealer Dominic Longo (d. 1985) is described as a Mafia member. Appearing at the trial of five … Continue reading

Posted in 1980, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Millennial Moments, Politics, Television | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

U.S. Urged to Evacuate Japanese Immediately

Jan. 31, 1942: Members of Congress from the West Coast call on the U.S. to expedite the evacuation of “enemy aliens,” a term that includes native-born people of Japanese ancestry. Officials concede that some of them may be loyal – … Continue reading

Posted in 1942, African Americans, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Freeways, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Politics, Richard Nixon, Streetcars, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hoaxer Fakes Obama Laughing Over Gingrich’s Primary Victory

The alleged Jan. 22, 2012, Washington Post Page 1 at left has been circulating on Facebook, and who knows where else, since Newt Gingrich took the South Carolina primary. It is, of course, a fake. As is obvious from the … Continue reading

Posted in Another Good Story Ruined, Front Pages, Politics | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Girl ‘11 or 12’ Taken From 62-Year-Old Husband

Jan. 7, 1942: Whenever people give me this nonsense about the past being “a kinder, simpler time,” I always think of stories like Joe Downs and his “wife.” President Roosevelt delivers his annual State of the Union address, which was … Continue reading

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Politics, Religion, Tom Treanor, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Movieland Mystery Photos – Special Edition [Updated]

[Update: I thought it might be helpful if I enlarged the faces of our mystery gents. My hunch is that the fellow on the right is Laurence Olivier. [I have also received three more photos and I now suspect that … Continue reading

Posted in 1952, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Photography, Politics | Tagged , | 23 Comments

An Important Reminder From the Daily Mirror

Pier Angeli and friend remind Daily Mirror readers to switch to standard time on Sunday. Or as William Safire said: “Fall is the time of year that conservatives like best because they get to turn the clock back.”

Posted in Photography, Politics | Tagged | 2 Comments

Van Nuys Plane Crash Kills 2 – Aug. 11, 1941

Aug. 11, 1941: Walter P. Palmer and William S. Raney are killed when their plane goes into a spin during a flying lesson and crashes into a bean field at Woodley Avenue and Oxnard Street in Van Nuys, which is … Continue reading

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Lee Shippey, Politics, San Fernando Valley, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

#art, #black dahlia, #books, #courts, #crime, #history, #railroads, 8|10|2011

Photo: BMW M1. Credit: Bonhams A BMW M1 painted by Frank Stella is being auctioned at the Quail Lodge Sale, Aug. 18-19, in Carmel. The BWM belonged to racecar driver Peter Gregg, who committed suicide after an accident left him … Continue reading

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, History, Motorsports, Museums, Politics, Transportation, Washington | 2 Comments

#cold cases, #history, #museums, #religion, 8|2|2011

[Update: A previous version of this post had a 1972 headline about another hijacking. Thanks to Dewey Webb for pointing out the error.] Nov. 26, 1971: D.B. Cooper bails out with $200,000. Credit: Los Angeles Times SPOTLIGHT Tera W. Hunter … Continue reading

Posted in 1972, Art & Artists, History, Museums, Politics, Religion, Television | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Nixon Library Releases New Recordings

The Associated Press has filed a story on the Nixon Library and Museum’s release of more Nixon recordings. Of course, that’s not good enough for the Daily Mirror, so we tracked them down ourselves. The library has released digital recordings … Continue reading

Posted in Libraries, Politics, Richard Nixon | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Photo: New, horse-drawn hearse for sale on EBay, $9,500. Credit: Justin Carriage Works Queen of the Dead—dateline July 18, 2011   • All the silent movie stars are long-gone, now we are down to memorializing their children. Rex Bell, Jr., … Continue reading

Posted in Brain Trust, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Politics, Queen of the Dead, Television | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Architectural Rambling – The Van Griffith Estate

The Times Sunday Business section featured the former home of Van M. Griffith (d. 1974), the son of Griffith Park donor Colonel Griffith J. Griffith.  (For some reason, the early stories in The Times refer to him as “Dan Griffith” … Continue reading

Posted in 1925, Architecture, City Hall, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Obituaries, Politics, Real Estate, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Heresy on L.A. Streetcars!

My hair (or what’s left of it) stood on end when I read this portion of Tim Rutten’s column on Wednesday about Rick Caruso’s mayoral campaign: Mythology has it that the old Red Cars were killed by a conspiracy, but … Continue reading

Posted in City Hall, Columnists, Downtown, Politics, Transportation | 7 Comments