Category Archives: Transportation

Black L.A. 1947: Kiwanis Refuses to Give Lottery Winner a New Cadillac Because He’s Black

Posted on August 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

This is a story that involves a $1 lottery ticket, a new Cadillac and an incredible amount of stupidity by members of an ostensibly charitable organization who were determined to uphold racist attitudes. And it really happened. The story, as … Continue reading →

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July 30: 1907: Runaway Horse Races Down Broadway, Plows Into Hotel Lobby

Posted on July 30, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 30, 1907 Los Angeles A horse and buggy had been hitched outside Jevne’s grocery store at 6th Street and Broadway when a furniture van hit the buggy, frightening the horse. As … Continue reading →

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July 28, 1907: L.A. Seeks to Clear Books of Old Laws on Bear Baiting, Quail Hunting by Streetcar Conductors

Posted on July 28, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 28, 1907 Los Angeles City officials, hampered by a bramble bush of old and unenforced laws, have appointed deputy prosecutor Eddie to prune back outdated and unnecessary regulations from the early … Continue reading →

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July 25, 1907: Fire Burns Foothill Bridge, Main Route From Monrovia to L.A.

Posted on July 25, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 25, 1907 Arcadia, Calif. Despite the efforts of 75 volunteer firefighters, a blaze rapidly consumed a 150-foot wooden bridge on Foothill Boulevard over the Santa Anita between Arcadia and Monrovia.

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July 23, 1907: A Belated Tribute to Heroic Officer

Posted on July 23, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 23, 1907 Los Angeles John Conroy, a career criminal, planned his work carefully: He would wait until 10 p.m., pry open the skylight of J.C. Fleming’s jewelry store at 531 S. … Continue reading →

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July 22, 1947: TV, Jet Engine, Tucker Car on Display at World Inventors Expo

Posted on July 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. First-prize winner at the inventors exposition was Stanley Hiller Jr., who developed a helicopter in which two blades on a single shaft rotated in opposite directions, … Continue reading →

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July 19, 1907: Covina Celebrates Launch of Streetcar Service

Posted on July 19, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 19, 1907 Covina Lavish preparations are underway for an enormous, free picnic to celebrate the opening of a Pacific Electric streetcar line to Los Angeles. “Covina had long awaited the approach … Continue reading →

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Hollywood on Wheels: Gary Cooper’s 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Heading for Auction

Posted on July 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

Gary Cooper’s 1935 Duesenberg SSJ is heading for auction by Gooding and Company, Aug. 24-25 at Pebble Beach. The car was on display at the Briggs Cunningham Automotive Museum in Costa Mesa and later acquired by the Miles Collier Collections.

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July 7, 1947: 4,000 Bikers in ‘Gypsy Tour’ Wreak Havoc in Hollister

Posted on July 7, 2018 by lmharnisch

“Hey, Johnny, what are you rebelling against?” “What’ve you got?”

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July 6, 1947: 1930 Duesenberg Convertible for Sale. Best Offer

Posted on July 6, 2018 by lmharnisch

Sigh.

Posted in 1930, 1947, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

July 3, 1907: Head of Anti-Fakers League Says Gunfire Was Real

Posted on July 3, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 3, 1907 Los Angeles Robert T. Hall, head of the Los Angeles Anti-Fakers League (or Anti-Fakers Society), says shots were fired at him as he returned from an outing to a … Continue reading →

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July 1, 1907: What Was the Gas Mileage of the Horseless Carriage?

Posted on July 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 1, 1907 Los Angeles If you ever wondered if the Locomobile or Pope-Hartford got great gas mileage, the answer is no, as shown in the results of the 185-mile Lakeside Endurance … Continue reading →

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June 26, 1947: Helicopter Hovers Over Clipper Ship

Posted on June 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. An unknown press photographer in Long Beach captured them in a small fraction of a second, the old three-masted square-rigger and the brand-new helicopter: old and … Continue reading →

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June 23, 1907: Auto Club Begins Posting Road Signs Along Future Route 66

Posted on June 23, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. June 23, 1907 Los Angeles The Auto Club of Southern California has begun posting white enamel signs with blue lettering along Foothill Boulevard between Los Angeles and Riverside. Spending about half a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Pasadena, Transportation | 1 Comment

June 14, 1907: 3 Berkeley Students Walk Home to L.A. in 27 Days

Posted on June 14, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. June 14, 1907 Los Angeles Like many young men, Stuart, Sayre and Maynard decided to walk home from school—but it was a bit farther for these college friends because they were going … Continue reading →

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1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux

Posted on June 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

One of the joys of living in Southern California is the random opportunity to see gorgeous cars – new and vintage – in the wild. We saw this 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux a few blocks from the Daily Mirror … Continue reading →

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June 8, 1947: Neighbors Organize to Block Workers for Trackless Trolleys

Posted on June 8, 2018 by lmharnisch

  Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Perhaps one of most the common and ingrained bits of wisdom about old Los Angeles is the vast conspiracy of bus companies and car dealers … Continue reading →

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May 24, 1907: LAPD Motorcycle Officers Charge Driver and Passengers With Speeding

Posted on May 24, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. May 24, 1907 Los Angeles Otis Skinner, the actor starring in “The Duel” at the Mason Opera House,” is under arrest because of a curious regulation in which passengers of a speeding … Continue reading →

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May 20, 1947: Madman Muntz Sells Cars at a Bargain

Posted on May 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.

Posted in 1947, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

History Deals a Deadly Hand

Posted on May 12, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. May 12, 1907 We’ve been having fun all week with the Shriners, parading around in their costumes, engaging in peculiar rites and pondering silly questions like “What Makes the Wildcat Wild?” Then … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, African Americans, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments