July 15, 1960: What seems obvious, if not inescapable, today was a shock at the convention. A Times editorial said: "Who would have dreamed before Thursday afternoon that Lyndon Johnson would be asked to be vice presidential candidate and would accept?"

Times Political Editor Kyle Palmer called Johnson’s selection “unexpected but expedient.”

James Reston of the New York Times said: "The story in Los Angeles — this fabulous symbol of the new American empire beyond the Rockies — is not really the rise of Sen. Kennedy. It is the story of the movement of history. It is the changing of the guard."

Notice that this photo was cut and pasted to put Kennedy and Johnson closer together.

Los Angeles Times file photo