Category Archives: 1947

May 31, 1947: Los Angeles Marks First Memorial Day Without a Civil War Veteran at Ceremony

Posted on May 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 31, 1947: Memorial Day is marked for the first time without a single Civil War veteran at the VA facility. There were five Union Army veterans living in Los Angeles. CSA veteran Sampson Simmons died in 1942 and was buried in Inglewood, wrapped in a Confederate flag. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Civil War | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

May 23, 1947: Lloyd Osbourne Dies; Inspired Stepfather Robert Louis Stevenson to Write ‘Treasure Island’

Posted on May 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 23, 1947, L.A. Times, Lloyd Osbourne, who as a boy inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write “Treasure Island,” dies in Glendale. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Books and Authors, Obituaries | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

May 22, 1947: Art Club Calls LACMA Exhibit ‘Subversive Propaganda’

Posted on May 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 22, 1947: The California Art Club yesterday lambasted the current Los Angeles County Museum art exhibit—the museum’s eighth annual show—as favoring “radical art” and containing “subversive propaganda.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Art & Artists, Museums | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

May 21, 1947: South Carolina Jury Acquits 28 in Lynching

Posted on May 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 21, 1947: A South Carolina jury acquits 28 people in the lynching of Willie Earle, who was suspected of killing a cabdriver. The Los Angeles Times editorializes that a federal anti-lynching law is unnecessary. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Black Dahlia Book Club for May 2026

Posted on May 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

In this month’s Black Dahlia Book Club, I discuss Jack Webb’s 1958 book “The Badge” and its portrayal of Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Cold Cases, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

May 18, 1947: Friends Raise Money to Buy Prosthetic Legs for Boy Injured by Unexploded Bazooka Shell

Posted on May 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 18, 1947: Jackie Cooper and his friend Lee Seely are being treated after an April 26 blast that occurred when one of the boys dropped an unexploded bazooka shell that someone found at Seal Beach. Lee was hit in the abdomen with shrapnel and Jackie’s legs were amputated. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Medicine | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Black Dahlia: Teaser for Video Disproving Alleged Dahlia-Zodiac Link and ‘Cracking’ Zodiac’s Z13

Posted on May 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

YouTube teaser for David Oranchak’s video refuting Alex Baber’s claims that he has “solved” Zodiac’s Z13 cipher, and linked the Black Dahlia and Zodiac cases. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

May 8, 1947: Mixed Marriage Was Illegal, Louisiana Court Rules, Ordering Woman to Vacate Home for New Owner

Posted on May 8, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 8, 1947: A Louisiana court orders a Black woman to vacate her home of 28 years because her estranged husband, who was white, wanted to sell the home. The court ruled that they had never been married because interracial marriages were illegal. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Real Estate | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Reminder — My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is May 5

Posted on April 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: My Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case will be next Tuesday, May 5, at 10 a.m. at https://www.youtube.com/@lmharnisch/streams Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Ask Me Anything, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Reminder — My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is May 5

Black Dahlia Book Club for April 2026

Posted on April 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

In the fourth installment of the Black Dahlia Book Club, I looked at the portrayal of Elizabeth Short’s murder in early crime anthologies leading up to Jack Webb’s “The Badge” in 1958. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, books, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, April 2026

Posted on April 14, 2026 by lmharnisch

In this session of the Black Dahlia Ask Me Anything, I address some of the claims in Michael Connelly’s 10-part podcast “Killer in the Code,” claiming a solution in the Black Dahlia and Zodiac cases. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, April 2026

Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is April 14

Posted on March 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: The Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case is a week later than usual, April 14, 2026, at YouTube.com/LMHarnisch at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is April 14

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on March 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious fellow. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 40 Comments

Black Dahlia Book Club for March 2026

Posted on March 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

In this installment of the Black Dahlia Book Club, I discussed a two-part news feature from 1949 titled “Someone Knows!” and a 1950 radio show titled “Somebody Knows!” Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia Book Club for March 2026

Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming March 17, 2026

Posted on March 10, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: The third session of the Black Dahlia Book Club will meet March 17 at 10 a.m. on YouTube. This time I’ll look at a two-part retrospective on the case, published in 1949 in the Los Angeles Mirror in its “Someone Knows! series, and the radio show “Somebody Knows” from 1950. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 1948, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, books, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming March 17, 2026

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on March 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a very mysterious fellow. With a gun. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, March 2026

Posted on March 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case includes a progress report on Heaven Is HERE! and a possible appearance on Michael Connelly’s podcast. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, March 2026

Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is March 3

Posted on February 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: I will be doing a live Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@lmharnisch) next Tuesday, March 3, at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Have questions? Leave them in the comments. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Coming Attractions | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is March 3

Black Dahlia Book Club for February 2026

Posted on February 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

The second session of the Black Dahlia Book Club is on YouTube.com/LMHarnisch. This time, I discussed books by four journalists involved in the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 1948, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, books, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia Book Club for February 2026

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

For Monday, we have a mysterious fellow. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 31 Comments