Category Archives: Black Dahlia

February 2, 1907: A Trip to the Zoo

Posted on February 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 2, 1907: Conditions at Chutes Park are so bad that the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is making a second inspection to see whether operator J.B. Lehigh has made any improvements before his Feb. 20 trial on charges of abuse and neglect. Continue reading →

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January 31, 1947: Herald-Express Publishes Name and Address of Rape Victim

Posted on January 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 31, 1947: It is difficult to believe that there was a time when newspapers published rape victims’ names and addresses, but the Herald-Express had no misgivings about it. Continue reading →

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January 31, 1907: L.A. Health Officials Fight Legislature’s Bid to Repeal Mandatory Smallpox Shots

Posted on January 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 31, 1907: L.A. health officials fight a bill that would lift mandatory smallpox vaccinations for schoolchildren. Continue reading →

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January 1, 1907: Alive!

Posted on January 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 1, 1907: Lindsay Hicks goes on the stage to discuss his rescue after being trapped for 15 days by a cave-in. The Kentuckian doesn’t care much for show business and says he wants $3 a day, a pick and a shovel — heading back to Bakersfield. Continue reading →

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January 28, 1907: Meet Gen. Homer Lea, L.A.’s Gift to China

Posted on January 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 28, 1907: Meet Gen. Homer Lea, whose life was the tale of a poor and badly handicapped boy’s adventures as a leader in an exotic foreign land. Continue reading →

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

Posted on January 27, 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, February 3, at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Have questions? Leave them in the comments. Continue reading →

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January 27, 1907: L.A. Studies Elevated Trolley Line to Ease Traffic

Posted on January 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 27, 1907: Pacific Electric experiments with an elevated railway system to ease traffic. The city is faced with bad traffic, “which causes blockades, loss of time to thousands, loss of business to merchants and discomfort to the public,” The Times says. Continue reading →

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January 24, 1907: L.A. Church May Ordain Woman!

Posted on January 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 24, 1907: Belle L. White devoted her life to helping the poor, needy children of Los Angeles. She built a church and school, left it all and began again when the minister turned out to be a crook, and spent her later years fighting with state authorities to stay open. Continue reading →

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January 23, 1907: Felix Chavarino — Lemon Fiend

Posted on January 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 23, 1907: Felix Chavarino is addicted to lemons. He was arrested after begging for food in a small restaurant. All he wanted was a lemon. Continue reading →

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January 22, 1947: Police Hunt ‘Large Nose Bandit’

Posted on January 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 22, 1947: Police hunt “Large Nose Bandit” in bank holdup. Continue reading →

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January 22, 1907: The Bible Explained — for $1,000

Posted on January 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 22, 1907: James Lauer, a self-styled Bible authority, needs $1,000 to publish a book that will explain it all. And apparently in his studies of the Bible, he never found a law against extortion. Continue reading →

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January 21, 1907: L.A. Hosts First Car Show on the West Coast

Posted on January 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 21, 1907: Los Angeles hosts the first car show in L.A. and the West Coast. The show, at Morley’s Skating Ring on Grand between 9th and 10th, featured 97 gas-powered cars and two electric autos. Dignitaries included Barney Oldfield and Henry Ford, The Times said. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club for January 2026

Posted on January 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

The first session of the Black Dahlia Book Club is on YouTube.com/LMHarnisch. This time, I discussed the October 1948 issue of True Detective, which led to the Leslie Dillon debacle. Continue reading →

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January 19, 1907: A Conductor Throws Caution to the Winds

Posted on January 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 19, 1907: At great risk to his health and finances, Harley Hamilton will conduct his Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra in the West Coast premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. The orchestra, which eventually disbanded, was a competitor with the later Los Angeles Philharmonic. Continue reading →

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January 17, 1907: The Changing Face of the City

Posted on January 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 17, 1907: Man who hadn’t been to Los Angeles since 1848 keeps getting lost. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Trim Your Roses on January 15 to Remember Elizabeth Short

Posted on January 15, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 15: Today is the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s death. As is the custom, the Daily Mirror will be dark. Trim your roses in her memory. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club – True Detective, 1948

Posted on January 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

Starting next week. the Black Dahlia Book Club, discussing what’s been written about the murder of Elizabeth Short. First up is the October 1948 issue of True Detective. Coming January 20 at YouTube.com/LMHarnisch Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club–Coming Next Week

Posted on January 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

Three quick reminders: The anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s murder is Thursday — be respectful. The Black Dahlia case is not solved, regardless of what you may hear elsewhere. And the Black Dahlia Book Club begins a week from today at YouTube.com/LMHarnisch Continue reading →

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January 9, 1907: The Floods

Posted on January 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 9-10, 1907: The worst storm in 23 years blows across Southern California with the force of a gale, dumping more than an inch of rain in Pasadena, killing an Orange County rancher, washing out railroad tracks and collapsing tunnels, and leaving nearly every small ship in Santa Barbara sunk, driven ashore or pounded to pieces. Continue reading →

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January 8, 1907: A Cold Dose of Reality

Posted on January 8, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 8, 1907: Los Angeles is dealing with a severe coal shortage. Coal was rationed to five sacks per customer and the buyers had pick them up at the coal yard. “The only place that hasn’t complained for the lack of coal is hell.” Continue reading →

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