Hadley Meares
Hadley Meares is a writer, historian, and singer who traded one Southland (her home state of North Carolina) for another. She is a frequent contributor to Curbed and Atlas Obscura, and leads historical tours all around Los Angeles for Obscura Society LA. Her debut novel, "Absolutely," is now available on Amazon.
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Nancy Pelosi, Dianne Feinstein and Helen Gahagan Douglas, are only some of the strong female forces who have formed the circle of influence surrounding Rosalind Wyman, the woman responsible for bringing the Dodgers to L.A. in the 1950s.
Perhaps best known for the large tract of park space that now bears his name, Griffith J. Griffith was a complicated man whose wealth and bombastic nature gave the city one of its most unforgettable characters.
Designed mostly by first-generation immigrants to America, the rhinestone cowboy aesthetic would come to symbolize the best of the Wild West dream — big, bold, brawny and bedazzled.
During the 1950s, this strand of country-western music, featuring drums, electric guitars (especially the California made Fender Guitar) and strains of mariachi music and rock n’ roll, flourished in honky-tonks and dance halls in and around working-class Bakersfield. By the 1960s, this outlaw strand of country had become mainstream
The Valley hotspot was once the premier club on the West Coast for cowboys, truckers, and country music.
Discover the mysterious beginnings of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and its "rocket boys."
Discover the mysterious beginnings of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and its "rocket boys."
Ever since his first flight, William J. Powell became infatuated with aviation. He saw it as a way for African American men and women to soar far above a racist world.
Muscle Beach started near the Santa Monica Pier as a haven for Southern California fitness advocates, frequented by some of the most well-known names in fitness today. In spite of a wildly popular reception, politics drove it to relocate to Venice.
These artificial animal kingdoms were all the rage in Depression-era Los Angeles.
From downtown’s long gone Little Italy to the Valley, L.A.’s early Italian immigrants brought their love of good food and good drinks to Southern California and expanded the region’s palate forever.
Suspicions of Russian influence in North America go back over 200 years, when Russia sought to dominate the West Coast.