The city of Los Angeles has a long and fascinating history, from its earliest days as home to the Chumash and Tongva indigenous peoples to its current status as a major international hub. The area was first claimed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo for Spain in 1542, and was officially founded on September 4, 1781 under the Spanish government of Felipe de Neve. In the years that followed, Los Angeles experienced a number of significant events, including the Watts riots of 1965 and the Los Angeles riots of 1992, the approval of the Port of Los Angeles in 1906, and the manufacturing of warplanes in the region. Los Angeles has also been known for its agricultural production, with olives, grapes, and oranges being among the main crops grown in the area.
During the gold rush years in Northern California, Los Angeles was known as Queen of Cows County for its role in providing beef and other food to hungry miners in the north. The coat of arms of Los Angeles is surrounded by images of olives, grapes and oranges to represent this history. At the same time that Los Angeles was expanding and becoming a major city, Harrison Gray Otis and other business colleagues were actively working to turn it into a city free of unions or with stores open. This period also saw an influx of 49ers residents who depended on beef and other foods from ranches and farms in the Los Angeles area.
The location of the Plaza de Los Angeles had to be changed twice due to its proximity to the riverbed. In addition to its agricultural production, Los Angeles also became a major manufacturing hub during this period. It assembled more cars than any other city except Detroit, manufactured more tires than any other city except Akron, Ohio, manufactured more furniture than Grand Rapids, Michigan, and sewed more clothes than any other city except New York. LAX airport was also established during this time, becoming one of the busiest airports in the world with more than 700 daily nonstop flights to 100 domestic cities and more than 1300 weekly nonstop flights to dozens of cities around the world.The 1992 Los Angeles riots were a significant event in the city's history, arising after years of growing tensions between the Los Angeles police and African-Americans in the city.
This event highlighted how far Los Angeles had come since its founding 80 years prior when indigenous people were not granted citizenship.
Leave Message