Tag: California
California’s Schools on Wheels Helped 1,000 Children Without Permanent Homes
In 1922, California was experimenting with a new idea: if children could not reliably get to school, then school would have to go to them….
Los Angeles Woman Found Murdered in Fifth-Floor Office
In September 1913, a quiet Los Angeles office became the scene of a brutal and puzzling murder. Mrs. Rebecca P. Gay, a religious practitioner and…
Man Crushed By a Giant Redwood in Laytonville
In the redwood camps of northern California, logging was a dangerous trade even for the most experienced men. The trees were enormous, the terrain was…
San Rafael Powder Factory Explosion Kills Four
A thunderous blast rolled across Point San Pedro on June 17, 1899, so loud that some who heard it first mistook the sound for a…
Los Angeles Policeman Robbed a Wells Fargo Wagon
A Los Angeles robbery that seemed daring enough on its own became even stranger when the culprit turned out to be one of the city’s…
When a Surgical Sponge Was Left Inside a Patient
In 1910, a Los Angeles man brought forward the kind of medical malpractice claim that still makes patients uneasy more than a century later: he…
The Night Los Angeles Went to War With Nothing
The sirens began just after 2 a.m. Los Angeles went dark ,streetlights blinked out, and neon signs died mid-glow. The windows were covered and cars…
Inside San Quentin’s Gallows: A Chilling Look at How California Prepared for the Hangman’s Noose
Long before the condemned took their final walk, the gallows at San Quentin was already alive with grim precision. Every rope, beam, and bolt was…
Collision Between Wagon and Electric Car Near Watts Kills Five, Injures Six
Tragedy near Watts: A wagon carrying eight children collided with an electric car, leaving four dead and six injured. Five Killed When Car Hits Wagon…
Seattle Police Arrest “Barefoot Burglar” Linked to Multiple Thefts and San Quentin Escape
In 1916, Seattle police arrested Carl Peterson, 27, known as the “barefoot burglar,” who allegedly confessed to a series of burglaries and claimed he had…
