This Day in History December 30, 1940

I found this one kind of interesting.  Highways are extremely important in this day and age, but as you know, they were not always there.  On this date in 1940, the Arroyo Seco Parkway was dedicated in California.  It was the first completed highway in the Western U.S., and it is the oldest one in service.

Before becoming a modern highway system, Arroyo Seco Parkway was a wagon trail, and then a bike/auto roadway.   As this was developed, off-ramps were placed at ninety degree angles, and that was no problem when high speeds were 45 MPH.  Buses and trucks were not allowed on this road, and it averaged 27,000 vehicles per day.  Today, it averages 122,000 vehicles per day, and it still remains very much like it was back then.  There are no banked ramps, and there are no acceleration/deceleration lanes.  I had no idea something like this existed.

For more information:
http://famousdaily.com/history/arroyo-seco-parkway-opens.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arroyo_Seco_Parkway
http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist07/travel/projects/arroyo/

This Day in History December 4, 1881

It was on this date in 1881, that the Los Angeles Times was published for the very first time.  It was first called the Los Angeles Daily News.  Today, it is the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the U.S.  I have never read this paper, but then again, I don't live in California.  And I don't read any written newspaper.

For more information:
http://famousdaily.com/history/la-times-first-published.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_LA_Times

This Day in History March 26, 1872

Have you ever heard of the devastating earthquake that rocked Owens Valley, California?  I have to admit that I had not.  It was on this date in 1872 that an earthquake was felt from Mexico to Oregon, and 30 people were killed as a result.

More thank likely you have heard of the San Andreas Fault in California, and at 2:30 A.M. that morning, the majority of the people in Lone Pine, California were asleep.  Fifty-two of the fifty-nine homes were destroyed, and 27 people were killed.  The ground moved a full seven feet.  The estimated magnitude was 7.8.

People as far away as Tijuana, Mexico, San Diego, and Nevada.  One of the most famous accounts of the earthquake came from John Muir who was instrumental in the establishment of Yosemite National Park.
He saw the destruction of the natural landmark Eagle Rock. You can read his account by visiting this site

.When traveling U.S. 395 through Lone Pine, you can also see the above monument which is a grave for the casualties of this quake.

For more information, please check out these other sites as well:
http://therealdesertdogs.com/blog/1872-earthquake-victims/
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/events/1872_03_26.php