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A massive oak tree stands in the middle of Orange Grove Avenue in Pasadena, circa 1890. Courtesy of the Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library.
The Oak Trees of Southern California: A Brief History
Native to Southern California, the oak tree has been a powerful force in shaping the region's human history.
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Harem Girls and Camel Races: Middle Eastern Fantasies in the Deserts of Southern California
The towns in the eastern side of the Coachella Valley have long utilized romanticized portrayals of the Middle East to shape views of their own desert backyard.
Children have a "Meeting of the Minds" at the Kingsboro Housing Project in Brooklyn in the 1940s. | Photo: Joe Schwartz.
A Camera with a Conscience: Documenting Diversity in America
Atascadero photographer Joe Schwartz, whose 100th birthday coincides with his community's centennial, has dedicated his career to documenting America's have-nots.
Standing nearly 1,300 feet tall and built partially out of magnesium, the Tower of Civilization would have soared over the grounds of the Los Angeles World's Fair. Courtesy of the Huntington Library.
The L.A. That Might Have Been
"Never Built: Los Angeles" presents an alternate history -- and an alternate present -- for a place where inspirational solutions to the city's problems have often been downscaled, defeated, or altogether forgotten.
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Sign of the Times II: Outpost Estates and the Importance of Mythmaking
The carcass of a long dismantled metal sign at Runyon Canyon Park reminder of the history that may or may not have happened right next door.
Commandos and Anti-Aircraft Guns: Catalina's Top-Secret WWII History
During World War II, Catalina Island reinvented itself as a training camp for the U.S. armed forces, including the forerunners to today's CIA and Navy SEALs.
Diving Into 'Moby-Dick,' George Cotkin Explores a Classic
In his book "Dive Deeper: Journeys with Moby-Dick," Cal Poly history professor George Cotkin examines the myriad ways Herman Melville's novel has shaped American culture.
Circa 1905 postcard of L.A.'s Arcade Depot
Lost Train Depots of Los Angeles History
These train depots, long since vanished, provided tourists' and emigrants' first introduction to Los Angeles, helping shape their ideas about the city.
Golden Apples of the Sun
The sight of an orange tree, laden with golden fruit on a cold winter afternoon, remains a guarantor of Southern California's mythic qualities.
The five top tier candidates running for L.A. Mayor (from left:) Emanuel Pleitez, Eric Garcetti, Kevin James, Jan Perry, and Wendy Greuel.
Will Money Matter in the Los Angeles Mayoral Race?
Running for the highest elected office in the City of Angels is not an inexpensive undertaking.
Sidewalk Stories: The Photography of William Reagh
Since arriving in L.A. in the 1930s, William Reagh captured a sense of the city's humanity during its most vigorous years of growth and urban renewal.
Left: Sean Penn as Mickey Cohen in 'Gangster Squad.' Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Right: Mickey Cohen after being convicted of income tax evasion in 1951. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Examiner Collection, USC Libraries.
'Gangster Squad': L.A. Crime Boss Mickey Cohen in the Archives
With "Gangster Squad," the world's attention turns to the criminal underworld of postwar L.A. and its pugilistic boss, Mickey Cohen.
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