Category Archives: Sports

December 16, 1907: A Headline for Steve Horn — L.A. Times Sports Covers a Cat Show

Posted on December 16, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 16, 1907: What did the Los Angeles Times sports department cover in the days before the Lakers? Or the Hollywood Stars? Why it covered a cat show! Continue reading →

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December 1, 1938: California prepares to execute two killers at San Quentin

Posted on December 1, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 1, 1938: California prepares to use the new gas chamber for two executions rather than the previous method of hanging. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1938, @news, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Politics, Religion, Sports | Comments Off on December 1, 1938: California prepares to execute two killers at San Quentin

November 30, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on November 30, 2025 by lmharnisch

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 27, 1968: O.J. Simpson wins Heisman

Posted on November 27, 2025 by lmharnisch

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

Posted in #courts, @news, broadcasting, Current Affairs, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Sports, Television | Comments Off on November 27, 1968: O.J. Simpson wins Heisman

November 22, 1958: Hall of Famer dies after crash

Posted on November 22, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 22, 1958: Hall of Famer Mel Ott, one of the great power hitters of all time, dies after surgery for a kidney injured from a car accident. Continue reading →

Posted in Front Pages, Sports | 3 Comments

November 21, 1947: Judge Tells Joel Thorne to Quit ‘Fooling Around’ With Racecars, Nightclubs

Posted on November 21, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 21, 1947: A judge admonishes Joel Thorne, who sneaked out of Cedars of Lebanon Hospital after being injured in a motorcycle crash to avoid paying alimony to his ex-wife. In 1955, Thorne was killed when his Beachcraft Bonanza plunged into an apartment building, killing eight others. Continue reading →

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November 19, 1960: Gene Autry a Contender in American League Expansion Team

Posted on November 19, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 19, 1960: Gene Autry is a potential bidder for an American League baseball team hoping to start in Los Angeles in 1961. Continue reading →

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November 17, 1968: The ‘Heidi Game’ remembered

Posted on November 17, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 17, 1968: NBC preempts the last moments of a game between the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets to air “Heidi,” and the infamous “Heidi Game” was born. Continue reading →

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November 15, 1981: Still Unsolved — Aspiring Screenwriter Killed in Hit-Run Staged to Look Like Rape

Posted on November 15, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 15, 1981: The mysterious death of Sue Latham, a cyclist who was hit by a car while unjamming the gears on her bike, but dragged to a construction site and partially undressed to make it look like she was raped. Continue reading →

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November 8, 1938: Polish Jew shoots Nazi envoy

Posted on November 8, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 8, 1938: In Paris, Herschel Grynszpan, identified as a 17-year-old Polish Jew, shoots the third secretary of the German Embassy, Ernst von Rath. And Nora Ford is at the Follies Burlesque. Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Current Affairs, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Sports | Comments Off on November 8, 1938: Polish Jew shoots Nazi envoy

November 3, 1958: Officials turn away football crowds at Coliseum

Posted on November 3, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 3, 1958: More than 100,000 people watch the Rams vs. the Bears at the Coliseum, with 10,000 more people turned away, Keith Thursby writes. Continue reading →

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November 1, 1947: UCLA Ruffians Kidnap USC’s George Tirebiter!

Posted on November 1, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 1, 1947: Ruffians from UCLA kidnap USC mascot George Tirebiter and shave “UCLA” into his coat. Continue reading →

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October 27, 1968: Wilt Chamberlain and Richard Nixon

Posted on October 27, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 27, 1968: “I’ve never gotten involved in politics before. But you have to get off the fence and declare yourself sometime and this is the time for me. I’ve known Nixon and been impressed by him for 10 years and I decided to join him. It’s intriguing to know that I might have some hand in shaping the future of this country,” Wilt Chamberlain says. Continue reading →

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October 25, 1907: L.A. Bids Adieu to the Boys of Summer as Pacific Coast League Ends Season

Posted on October 25, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 25, 1907: A farewell to baseball season, “deservedly the most popular pastime of the American public.” Continue reading →

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October 17, 1907: All-White USC Football Team Starts Race Riot Over Tackle by Black Player From Whittier

Posted on October 17, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 17, 1907: A Black player from Whittier State tackles a player for USC’s all-white team, setting off a fight between the teams. Continue reading →

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October 7, 1938: Star pitcher Dizzy Dean walks his last mile

Posted on October 7, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 7, 1938: Dizzy Dean and the Cubs lost to the Yankees, 6-3, in the second game of the 1938 World Series. But it was more than a loss–it might have been the last chapter of a great career. Continue reading →

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September 25, 1907: The Melancholy Prizefighter

Posted on September 25, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 25, 1907: Meet Joe Gans, a boxer whose name once echoed among fans of the ring now buried in the dusts of sporting history. Gans may well have been one of the finest fighters whoever lived. Continue reading →

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September 24, 1957: Matt Weinstock

Posted on September 24, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 24, 1957: Matt Weinstock profiles Red Rowe, host of Panoramic Pacific on KNXT, Channel 2 Continue reading →

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September 13, 1958: Dodgers disciplined for playing golf

Posted on September 13, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 13, 1958: The Dodgers discipline Duke Snider and Clem Labine for playing… golf! Continue reading →

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September 2, 1947: Miss Muscle Beach of 1947

Posted on September 2, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 2, 1947: Vivian Crockett is chosen as Miss Muscle Beach of 1947 in the annual Labor Day contest in Santa Monica. Continue reading →

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