On April 8, 1949, a three-year-old girl fell down an abandoned water well in San Marino, California. The television coverage of the rescue attempt tapped into the deep spring of attention that a live broadcast can bring to news.
Tigers in the Greenhouse
In the summer of 1999, The Huntington was the focus of world-wide attention when it exhibited the first “Amorphophallus titanum” ever to bloom in California.
Clusters of Eden
This is how a feud over roasted bear paws led to the discovery of America.
The Old Menus of New Chinatown
Retracing the history of Chinatown in Los Angeles using old Chinese restaurant menus as a guide.
1-800-KISS-MY-ASS
The worst job I ever had changed my life, it also got me subpoenaed by the Colorado State Attorney General’s office. I told the whole tale to Nick White and we worked together to turn part of that story into a podcast for UnFictional.
The American Road Trip is Older than the American Road
Join curator Peter Blodgett’s tour through a collection of travel journals that visually document early road trips of the American West.
Bay of Smokes is on UnFictional
Here’s an episode for UnFictional that I produced. It’s a podcast remake of my video “Bay of Smokes.”
Only Known Copy
The Huntington’s only known recording of Joseph H. Hazelton’s eyewitness account of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Death of the Newsflash
There is no one alive that can remember life before a newsflash could interrupt your day, your age just determines the first event you remember that way.
Reno Motel Yodel (It Still Feels Like I’m Moving)
I swear to God – this is a Reno motel yodel (although I’m not the one yodeling.) The only thing I can compare it to is, after you’ve been at the beach all day, and that night, in bed, you can still feel the waves.
Bay of Smokes
Smog came to Los Angeles one morning like a stranded hitchhiker. It was July 8th, 1943, and we were at war, but this attack was something new. How Angelenos reacted to the fumes was clouded by reactions to their new enemy: Japan
The Undefeated Gangster
My radio debut on KCRW looks into how Los Angeles gangster Mickey Cohen survived 11 attempts on his life.
