Category Archives: Transportation

January 7, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on January 7, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 7, 1959: A group of grimly playful fellows at USC have changed their names from Asthmatics Anonymous to Asthmatics Militant, bringing a report from Detroit about the new Flatulente Four Fifty auto, Matt Weinstock says. Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Environment, Freeways, Matt Weinstock, Transportation | Leave a comment

December 30, 1941: L.A. Women Are Slackers in Fighting the Axis!

Posted on December 30, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 30, 1941: December 30, 1941: It seems that local women didn’t get the memo about the being the “Greatest Generation.” They’re a bunch of slackers in the war against the Axis and don’t want to work as air-raid wardens. Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Streetcars, Theaters, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged #Jack Benny, #John Carradine, #Lana Turner, #Lon Chaney Jr., #Lucille Ball, #Marie MacDonald | Leave a comment

December 30, 1907: Old Soldiers of the Civil War, Held as Drunks, Get Free Run of Jail

Posted on December 30, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 30, 1907: Six Civil War veterans are jailed on charges of being drunk and rowdy in Sawtelle, the settlement outside the gates of the veterans home. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Civil War, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Food and Drink, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged #Civil War, 1907, alcohol, crime and courts, food and drink, jails, Sawtelle, veterans | Leave a comment

December 9, 1907: Black LAPD Officer Blames Firing on Racism, Rejoins Fire Department

Posted on December 9, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 9, 1907: Mayor Harper has restored E.J. Bowen to his old job in the Fire Department after the rookie police officer was fired for allegedly being a coward—a charge that Bowen, who is Black, blames on racism. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, Fires, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged 1907, African Americans, Fire Department, lapd, racism | Comments Off

December 3, 1907: Gunman Kills LAPD Officer; Dies in Slow Agony Awaiting the Gallows

Posted on December 3, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 3,1907: Daniel Meskil kills LAPD Officer Patrick Lyons, who was trying to arrest Meskil and his companion, Rolla Robe. Meskil was sentenced to be hanged at San Quentin, but died of injuries from jumping off a roof during an escape attempt. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged 1907, crime and courts, Daniel Meskil, End of Watch, lapd, Patrick Lyons, Rolla Robe | Comments Off

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

Posted on November 27, 2025 by lmharnisch

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 #Red Cars, #transportation, #Yellow Cars, buses, Streetcars | 1 Comment

November 21, 1907: Mother, 17, Throws Baby From Train to Hide ‘Shame’ From Family

Posted on November 21, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 21, 1907: Louise Williams is arrested on charges of throwing her baby from an inbound train. “She was suddenly overwhelmed with the shame of meeting her mother and sisters at Los Angeles, who had not learned of her ruin,” her attorney said. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged #trains, 1907, 1908, African Americans, crime and courts, infanticide | Comments Off

November 20, 1907: Police Capture Streetcar Bandits

Posted on November 20, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 20, 1907: Police arrest two men who staged daring holdups on the Ascot Park and Eastlake streetcars, robbing the motormen and conductors as the cars reached the ends of their routes. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged 1907, crime and courts, lapd, Streetcars, transportation | Comments Off

November 19, 1959: Paul V. Coates – Confidential File

Posted on November 19, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 19, 1959: A convicted robber who escaped from jail talks to Paul Coates about why he did it and whether to surrender to police. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1959, Columnists, Front Pages, Paul Coates, Transportation | Comments Off

November 19, 1907: Crime Wave Sweeps L.A.

Posted on November 19, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 19, 1907: An influx of crooks, petty hoodlums and vagrants drawn by good weather and horse racing at Santa Anita are blamed for a siege of crime throughout the city. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, African Americans, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Medicine, Transportation | Tagged 1907, African Americans, burglaries, crime and courts, hospitals, lapd | Comments Off

November 16, 1907: Husband in Elaborate Disguise Shoots Estranged Wife on Streetcar

Posted on November 16, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 16,1907: Frederick Cook faces trial for shooting his estranged wife on a streetcar, disguising himself so she wouldn’t recognize him. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, Homicide, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged 1907, 1908, crime and courts, domestic violence, homicide, roller skating | Comments Off

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 →

Posted in 1981, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Sports, Transportation | Tagged 1981, bicycling, Cold Cases, Pat Hines, sports, Sue Latham | Comments Off

November 12, 1941: Crowds Line Broadway for Armistice Day Parade

Posted on November 12, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 12, 1941: Crowds line Broadway in downtown Los Angeles for the annual Armistice Day parade, which marked the end of what used to be called the Great War or the World War – until we had another one. Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, A Kinder, Simpler Time, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Streetcars, Theaters, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged #Carole Landis, #John Huston, #Walter Huston | Comments Off

November 12, 1907: A Bad Way With Horses

Posted on November 12, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 12, 1907: John P. Shumway Jr. is badly injured when the carriage he was driving collided with the 11th Street trolley. Shumway was thrown about 20 feet, striking the pavement head-first, and the horse ran for the stable, pulling what was left of the smashed carriage, witnesses said. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1909, Animals, Crime and Courts, Transportation | Tagged 1907, 1909, Animals, crime and courts, cruelty, horses | Comments Off

November 9, 1959: Paul V. Coates – Confidential File

Posted on November 9, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 9, 1959: Comedian Doodles Weaver, who once headlined in played Las Vegas, can’t get a job, Paul Coates says. (Also a proposed union bus terminal for L.A.). Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Columnists, Paul Coates, Transportation | 1 Comment

November 4, 1907: Final Crash Finishes Off Ford Runabout, but Driver Survives to Race Again

Posted on November 4, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 4, 1907: Luck finally runs out for Eugene Rowe’s runabout, which was repaired after being smashed by a trolley, then crashed during practice for the Thanksgiving run. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Motorsports, Pasadena, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged 1907, Motorsports, racing, Streetcars, transportation | Comments Off

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 →

Posted in @news, Film, Freeways, Front Pages, Sports, Transportation | Comments Off

October 25, 1947: Toyoda of Japan Sells First Postwar Sedan for $5,000

Posted on October 25, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 25, 1947: Toyoda Automobile Co. unveils its first postwar car, a small, four-passenger sedan with 27 horsepower. The company has produced five cars so far, reserved for doctors. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Comics, Transportation | Tagged #cars, 1947, comics, Toyota, transportation | Comments Off

October 20, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on October 20, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 20, 1959: Matt Weinstock writes about H.C. “Chad” McClellan’s recent trip to the Soviet Union, representing capitalism. His message to Rotarians was that young Communists were misguided, misled and misinformed. Not evil. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Matt Weinstock, Transportation | Comments Off

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 →

Posted in 1907, African Americans, Sports, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged #USC, 1907, African Americans, racism, sports, Whittier | Comments Off