The Hidden History of Los Angeles

Eric Dolphy was a multi-instrumentalist jazz virtuoso who played with the likes of John Coltrane and Charles Mingus. And he grew up in Los Angeles.

An interview with David Kipen about his book Dear Los Angeles: The City in Diaries and Letters, 1542 to 2018.

This episode tells the story of three laws that shaped the downtown Los Angeles skyline.

This episode looks into why there are so many Craftsman houses in Pasadena and features an interview with Brian Baker from Pasadena Heritage about their upcoming Craftsman Weekend event.

John Cage was one of the most influential and notorious avant garde music composers of the 20th Century. And he grew up in Los Angeles.

This episode introduces a new segment of the podcast called, "L.A. Sounds," which will feature lesser known figures from the city's musical history.

The episode features an interview with Gary Krist about his new book The Mirage Factory: Illusion, Imagination, and the Invention of Los Angeles.

What is the proper way to pronounce "Los Angeles?" The episode examines the history of pronouncing the city's name.

Charlotta Bass was a trailblazing journalist and fierce advocate for civil rights, but few Angelenos have heard of her name. This episode tells the story.

On a mountain above Los Angeles, a group of astronomers at the Mount Wilson Observatory forever changed our understanding of the Universe.

John Parkinson is L.A.'s most important, but often forgotten, architect.

When was the first time a car rode the streets of Los Angeles? This episode tells the story.

On the corner of Colorado Boulevard and Holliston Street in Pasadena stands a concrete tablet that looks like a tombstone. Even though it looks out of place, it is probably the oldest thing on that street corner - a long-lost ancestor of the navigation system on your phone. This episode tells the story.

This episode tells the story of one of the most notorious hotels in Los Angeles.

With its concrete walls and customary meager flow of water, the L.A. River has often been derided as being ugly. So how did this river, which at one point served as the lifeblood of this community, become a glorified storm drain? Find out in the latest episode of Q&A L.A.

How does a well established Los Angeles neighborhood name disappear? This episode tells the story of Pico Heights.

A quick announcement about the upcoming Discovery Project show at the Blue Whale on January 27 and 28, 2017.

What is the oldest building that is still standing in the City of Los Angeles? The answer is not as simple as you may think.

This episode tells the story of Angels Flight, L.A.'s beloved funicular, and the effort to get it re-opened, including an interview with local historian Richard Schave.

Why are there huge holes in the ground off the 210 and 605 freeways in Irwindale? This episode answers the question while also exploring the history of Irwindale and how these holes are connected to the greater Los Angeles area.

In anticipation of his July 16, 2016 performance at Boston Court in Pasadena with his Discovery Project, a multimedia project which explores the past, present and future of Los Angeles, Robert interviews the piano player and composer Josh Nelson about the show and writing music about Los Angeles.

Why are there peacocks in Arcadia? To answer the question, we must go back over a hundred years and learn about the founding of the City of Arcadia.

This episode tells the story of Mack Robinson, a silver medalist who came in second to Jesse Owens in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, as well as his relationship to his hometown of Pasadena.

Why does the 2 freeway end abruptly in Echo Park? To answer the question, we must delve into the history of freeway development in Los Angeles and the world of L.A.'s never built freeways.

The Triforium is a six-story, 60-ton public sculpture on the corner of Temple and Main Streets in downtown that was supposed to be a symbol of L.A.'s future. Unfortunately, technical problems plagued the project from the beginning and made it the subject of much ridicule. Now a group of L.A. enthusiasts want to restore the piece and realize the project's ambitious vision. This episode discusses the history of the Triforium and includes an interview with Tom Carroll, the creator and host of the web series "Tom Explores Los Angeles," who is involved in the restoration effort.

This episode tells the story of California's first Attorney General and L.A.'s seventh District Attorney, Edward Kewen.

This episode tells the story of Tiburcio Vasquez, a bandit who was active throughout California during the mid-nineteenth century.

This episode tells the story behind L.A.'s first subway which operated between 1925 and 1955.

Today, terrorism is a major concern in Los Angeles. But many Angelenos would likely be surprised to learn that L.A. has, in decades past, been the target of multiple terrorist attacks.

This episode explores the story behind the namesake for Griffith Park and Griffith Observatory, Colonel Griffith J. Griffith.

This episode discusses the oldest and newest freeway in Los Angeles and what they tell us about the city.

This episode discusses an incident in 1855, when Los Angeles Mayor Stephen C. Foster took the law into his own hands.

This episode explores some of the times where Los Angeles has served as a battlefield.

This episode explores the history of L.A.'s never built freeways.

During the 1930s, a cafeteria owner named Clifford Clinton began an unlikely crusade against corruption in Los Angeles. This episode tells the story of Clifford Clinton.

In 1785, a group of Native Americans revolted against the Spanish at Mission San Gabriel. This episode tells the story of one of the members of the rebellion named Toypurina.

This episode discusses the origin of the names Azusa and Pasadena.

This episode explores two stories of the California Dream - a murder mystery and a mythical tale.

This episode tells the story behind a bizarre auction that occurred in downtown Los Angeles during the 1850s.

In 1870, L.A.'s City Marshall, William Warren, was shot and killed, making him the first regularly employed L.A.P.D. officer to be killed in the line of duty. But Warren wasn't killed tryng to stop a crime. Instead, he was killed by another L.A.P.D. officer in connection with a dispute over a reward for recovering a runaway Chinese prostitute. This podcast tells the story of the shooting of William Warren.

Echo Park is the name of a park and lake as well as the neighborhood which surrounds it just north of downtown Los Angeles. This edpisode looks into the origin of the name "Echo Park."

Everyone has heard the story of Los Angeles stealing water. But what is lesser known is that a dam that was built to store water from the Owens Valley collapsed in 1928 resulting in the death of at least 600 people.

Everybody knows that the name Los Angeles is Spanish in origin. But what is lessor known is that there is no agreement as to what the original name given to Los Angeles by its founders was back in 1781. This episode explores the debate over LA's original name.

In 1871, approximately 500 Los Angeles residents, almost one tenth of the city's population, laid siege to L.A.'s original Chinatown and lynched 18 Chinese immigrants, making it the largest incident of mass lynching in American history.

Pentacostalism is a movement within Christianity which today has hundreds of millions of followers around the globe. But what is lessor known is that the modern day Pentacostal movement traces its origins back to a street in the Little Tokyo section of Downtown Los Angeles.