Monthly Archives: November 2025

November 30, 1959: Matt Weinstock

November 30, 1959: The mother of a middle school student tells Matt Weinstock: “You would be surprised at the number of students at this school who are being tutored just to make a C.” One girl is taking tranquilizers because she can’t keep up. Continue reading

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November 30, 1959: Paul Coates – Confidential File

November 30, 1959: An author claims that Charles Dickens and actress Ellen Ternan had an illegitimate child, and Paul Coates has the story. Continue reading

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November 30, 1958: Former deputy strangles wife, kills himself as police close in

November 30, 1958: A former deputy strangles his wife and kills himself. A pitch-perfect story from 1958. Continue reading

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November 30, 2006: Architectural Rambling

Some “architectural rambling” photos I took in 2006 for a blog post on historic structures. Continue reading

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November 30, 1907: Witness Against Mexican Revolutionaries Poisoned!

November 30, 1907: A closely guarded witness in the trial of the Mexican revolutionaries goes into convulsions after being allowed to have lunch at a local cafe. Continue reading

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November 27, 1968: O.J. Simpson wins Heisman

November 27, 1968: O.J. Simpson wins the Heisman Trophy after a remarkable two-year career at USC. Continue reading

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November 27, 1964: Secretary Found Stabbed to Death in the ‘Thanksgiving’ Murder

November 27, 1964: Joyce Walker is found stabbed 50 times on Thanksgiving Day, apparently raped and killed by a man who helped her after her car became disabled on the way home from a party. Two Manhattan police officers offered assistance but Walker and the suspect said everything was fine. Continue reading

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November 27, 1941: Streetcar Companies Ask Council to End Bus Ban in Downtown L.A.

November 27, 1941: The Pacific Electric and Los Angeles Railways ask the City Council to repeal a ban against buses operating in downtown Los Angeles. Continue reading

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Streetcars, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

L.A. Celebrates a Wartime Thanksgiving, 1943

Thanksgiving 1943: A wartime Thanksgiving in Los Angeles, with many service personnel welcomed into people’s homes for a holiday meal. Continue reading

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November 27, 1907: Mexican Revolutionaries Accused of Gigantic Conspiracy

November 27, 1907: A shadowy, global conspiracy of anarchists is being described in the trial of revolutionaries Ricardo Flores Magon, Antonio Villareal and Librado Rivera in federal court. The fourth defendant, L. Gutierrez De Lara, was charged separately with committing larceny in Sonora, Mexico. Continue reading

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An 1890s Thanksgiving in the Kitchen

Here’s a traditional roast turkey recipe from the “Every-Day Cook-Book and Family Compendium,” written about 1890 by Miss E. Neill. Be sure your fire is bright and clear and watch out for the gall-bag. Continue reading

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: San Francisco Silent Film Festival 2025

Mary Mallory takes a look at the offerings from the recently concluded San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Continue reading

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November 26, 1959: Matt Weinstock

November 26, 1959: Matt Weinstock has the story of robbery Detective Dalton Patton, a man with a long memory who finally gets his safe-cracker. Continue reading

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November 26, 1959: Paul V. Coates – Confidential File

November 26, 1959: Paul Coates has the story of E.B. (Jet) Simrell, a former market owner wanted by the FBI for threatening the lives of seven judges. Simrell is waging a crusade against the “un-feminine, all-powerful American woman.” Continue reading

Posted in Columnists, Homicide, Paul Coates | 1 Comment

November 26, 1958: LAPD honors dead officer’s heroism

November 26, 1958: The LAPD posthumously honors Sgt. Gene Nash with a Medal of Valor after he died following a shootout with robbery suspects. Continue reading

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November 26, 1941: L.A. Man Takes Fight Over Dog License to U.S. Supreme Court

November 26, 1941: George F. Harrington says owning his dog, named Kitty, is a constitutional right and he refuses to pay for a license, taking the fight to the Supreme Court. Continue reading

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November 26, 1904: UFO over Los Angeles

November 24, 1906: No, this isn’t a flying saucer on a stick. It’s an early attempt at carbon arc street lighting. Continue reading

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November 25, 1959: Matt Weinstock

November 25, 1959: The health department says the Fern Dell water hole, fed by a mountain spring, is unsafe to use because of pollution, Matt Weinstock says. Continue reading

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November 25, 1959: Paul V. Coates – Confidential File

November 25, 1959: Paul Coates has the story of a desperate young mother, her husband in jail and her children going hungry, rejected by all welfare and assistance programs, who abandons her children in a church. Continue reading

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Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is December 2

Reminder: I will be doing a live Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@lmharnisch) next Tuesday, December 2, at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Have questions? Leave them in the comments. Continue reading

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