The Library will be closed on Sunday, March 31, 2024, in observance of Easter

history and genealogy department

Protesters in front of Pandora’s Box, Herald Examiner Collection, photo dated November 20, 1966
Steven Kilgore, November 23, 2019

The Sunset Strip curfew riots, popularly known as the “hippie riots,” exploded on November 12, 1966 and lasted through December of 1966. The counterculture youth protest was a reaction to perceived authoritarian overreach, and an exercise in civil rights by Los Angeles youth.


Cover of 1946 Thomas Street Guide
Neale Stokes, July 29, 2019

Before the advent of GPS and smartphones, residents of Los Angeles were wholly dependent on the street guide to navigate their sprawling metropolis. In this video, map librarian Glen Creason explores the history of the L.A. street guide, and explains why they are still relevant today:


A close-up shot is lined up by the director and cameraman during a Maverick shoot on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, [1961]. Valley Times Collection
Wendy Horowitz, July 11, 2018

In January 1947, KTLA Channel 5, Los Angeles's first commercial television station, aired its first broadcast, and the Herald Express newspaper was there to report the milestone event.


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