Category Archives: 1908

May 13, 1908: Work to Begin on Streetcar Tunnel to Ease Traffic

Posted on May 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 13, 1908: Work will begin on a Hill Street tunnel for streetcars in an attempt to ease traffic congestion, showing that traffic problems in Los Angeles are more than a century old. Continue reading →

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May 12, 1908: Stanford Officials Open Unmarked Graves

Posted on May 12, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 12: 1908: “The Christ Kid” gets his nickname from posing as a preacher to the homeless whenever police are looking for him. Continue reading →

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May 6, 1908: Shocked Judge Grants Divorce; Bodies Found at Indiana Murder Farm

Posted on May 6, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 6, 1908: A judge in Connecticut grants a divorce to Henry Lord with details so shocking that the judge stays the proceedings. And crowds visit the Indiana murder farm. Continue reading →

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April 23, 1908: Whiskey Is a Health Tonic

Posted on April 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 23, 1908: Whiskey is a health tonic! Continue reading →

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April 22, 1908: Beer Is a Health Drink

Posted on April 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 22, 1908: Beer is a health drink, especially good for “the weak and the convalescent.” “When beer is pure, there is nothing more healthful.” Continue reading →

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April 21, 1908: Dispute Over Black and White Children Playing Together Turns Deadly

Posted on April 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 21, 1908: In Memphis, a quarrel between women over Black and white children playing together leads to a fight and then a shooting. And a crackdown on sending birth control information through the mail. Continue reading →

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April 20, 1908: Great White Fleet Draws Huge Crowds, Overwhelming Capacity

Posted on April 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 20, 1908: The Great White Fleet draws huge crowds, overwhelming rail service to Long Beach, San Pedro, Redondo Beach and Venice. If there were a Militant Angeleno in 1908, he would have been there! Continue reading →

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April 15, 1908: Accused Wife Killer Says ‘Everything Went Black’

Posted on April 15, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 15,1908: Quong Wai, who is fighting a deportation order, says he is an American born in San Francisco. He says immigration officers arrested him at a streetcar station without reason. Continue reading →

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April 13, 1908: Dr. Hoffman’s Nerve Syrup Cures ‘Fits’

Posted on April 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 13, 1908: Dr. Hoffman’s “Nerve Syrup” has a pleasant taste and cures epilepsy, St. Vitus Dance and nervous trouble. What exactly is in it? The ad isn’t saying. Continue reading →

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April 2, 1908: Great White Fleet Out of Tunes, Seeks Songs in the Key of Sea

Posted on April 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 2, 1908: Sailors of the Great White Fleet are tired of the same old songs and want something new to sing, maybe “I’m Afraid to Go Home in the Dark.” Continue reading →

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March 31, 1908: Traveling Blacksmith Shoes Fire Department Horses

Posted on March 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 31, 1908: A traveling blacksmith shoes the Fire Department’s horses, rather than taking the horses to the farrier. The last fire horse, Blackie, retired in 1923 and spent the rest of his life at Griffith Park, where he died in 1939. Continue reading →

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March 30, 1908: U.S. Seeks to Deport Immigrant Radicals From L.A.

Posted on March 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 30, 1908: U.S. immigration official interviews prisoners and mental patients in L.A. in a campaign to deport immigrant radicals. Continue reading →

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March 22, 1908: Plans for a New Hall of Records

Posted on March 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 22, 1908: Los Angeles plans a new Hall of Records. Continue reading →

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March 16, 1908: Homeless Camps in Mojave

Posted on March 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 16, 1908: The Times profiles camps of homeless men in Mojave. Continue reading →

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March 15, 1907: In Which We Begin

Posted on March 15, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 16, 1907: The first post of the 1907 blog that I began March 15, 2006. Twenty years ago! Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, 1911, 1914, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, City Hall, Freeways, LAPD, Streetcars, Theaters | Comments Off on March 15, 1907: In Which We Begin

February 18, 1908

Posted on February 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 18, 1908: A woman falsely claims to be a famous author, and a man has delusions of great wealth. Continue reading →

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February 11, 1908: The Latest in Men’s Shoes

Posted on February 11, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 11, 1908: The latest in men’s shoes. Question: Should the local Japanese American community be allowed to welcome the Great White Fleet when it visits Los Angeles? Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1908, Front Pages | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

December 26, 1907: Minister Rejects New ‘Godless’ U.S. Coins

Posted on December 26, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 26, 1907: The Rev. W.A. Jones of Knoxville Presbyterian Church refuses the congregation’s gift of $100 because it consists of newly redesigned $20 gold pieces that do not bear the motto “In God We Trust.” Continue reading →

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December 22, 1907: For I Was Homeless and You Ran Me In — L.A. Prepares for ‘Hobo Season’

Posted on December 22, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 22, 1907: Los Angeles prepares for ‘Hobo Season’ with posters warning that the city sentenced the homeless to the chain gang. Continue reading →

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December 20, 1907: Miracle Doctor Fer-Don Cures Man of 90-Foot Tape Worm!

Posted on December 20, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 20, 1907: Miracle doctor “The Great Fer-Don” comes to Los Angeles, with ads boasting of his amazing cures. Alas, his health tonic was merely colored water and a felony warrant was issued for him and his wife. Continue reading →

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