6 June
The assassination of Robert Francis “Bobby” Kennedy, a United States Senator and brother of assassinated President John Fitzgerald “Jack” Kennedy, took place shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, in Los Angeles, California, during the campaign season for the 1968 presidential election, he died on this day in 1968 (the next day).
29 April
The 1992 Los Angeles riots, were a series of riots, looting, arsons, and civil disturbance that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, in 1992. Continue reading “1992 – Los Angeles riots”
18 April
The 1906 San Francisco earthquake struck at 5:12 a.m. on this day in 1906 with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.8 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). Continue reading “1906 – San Francisco earthquake”
3 April
The Osborne 1 was the first commercially successful portable microcomputer, released on this day in 1981 by Osborne Computer Corporation. Continue reading “1981 – The Osborne 1 is unveiled”
17 March
Ricardo Leyva Muñoz Ramírez, known as Richard Ramirez (29 February 1960 – 7 June 2013), was an American serial killer, rapist, and burglar. His highly publicized home invasion crime spree terrorized the residents of the greater Los Angeles area, and later the residents of the San Francisco area, from June 1984 until August 1985. Continue reading “1985 – Serial killer Richard Ramirez, commits his first two murders”
28 February
The North Hollywood shootout, sometimes also called the Battle of North Hollywood, was an armed confrontation between two heavily armed and armoured bank robbers and members of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in the North Hollywood district of Los Angeles on this day in 1997. Both perpetrators were killed, eleven police officers and seven civilians were injured, and numerous vehicles and other property were damaged or destroyed by the approximately 1,750 rounds of ammunition fired by the robbers and police. Continue reading “1997 – The North Hollywood shootout takes place”
9 January
“The Black Dahlia” was a nickname given to Elizabeth Short (29 July, 1924 – c. 15 January, 1947), an American woman who was the victim of a much-publicized murder in 1947. Continue reading “1947 – Elizabeth “Betty” Short, the Black Dahlia, is last seen alive”
24 December
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in the California desert in the late 1960s. Manson and his followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations over a period of five weeks in the summer of 1969.
Originally, Judge William Keene had reluctantly granted Manson permission to act as his own attorney. Because of Manson’s conduct, including violations of a gag order and submission of “outlandish” and “nonsensical” pretrial motions, the permission was withdrawn before the trial’s start. Continue reading “1969 – Charles Manson is allowed to defend himself at the Tate–LaBianca murder trial”
20 December
Zodiac Killer is the nickname given to an unidentified serial killer who operated in northern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Zodiac murdered victims in Benicia, Vallejo, Lake Berryessa, and San Francisco between December 1968 and October 1969. Four men and three women between the ages of 16 and 29 were targeted. The killer originated the name “Zodiac” in an August 7, 1969 letter to the local Bay Area press, which was just one in a series of taunting letters. These letters included four cryptograms (or ciphers). Of the four cryptograms sent, only one has been definitively solved. Continue reading “1968 – The Zodiac Killer kills Betty Lou Jenson and David Faraday in Vallejo, California”
