Los Angeles, California

1992Los Angeles Riots: Six days of civil unrest erupted after the acquittal of four LAPD officers in the beating of Rodney King. The riots left 63 dead, over 2,000 injured, and caused $1 billion in property damage across the city.

1911Birth of Hollywood: The Nestor Motion Picture Company opened the first permanent film studio in Hollywood. Within a decade, Los Angeles became the undisputed center of the global film industry.

1965Watts Rebellion: A routine traffic stop in the Watts neighborhood sparked six days of violent unrest, leaving 34 dead and over 1,000 injured. The uprising exposed systemic racism and neglect in South Los Angeles.

1913Los Angeles Aqueduct Opens: Engineer William Mulholland completed the 233-mile aqueduct from the Owens Valley, providing the water that transformed Los Angeles from a small town into a sprawling metropolis.

1994Northridge Earthquake: A 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck the San Fernando Valley, killing 57 people and causing $20 billion in damage. It led to major revisions in seismic building codes nationwide.

1932First Los Angeles Olympic Games: Los Angeles hosted the Summer Olympics during the Great Depression, turning a profit and showcasing the city to the world. It established LA as an international sports destination.

1943Zoot Suit Riots: White servicemen attacked Mexican-American youth in downtown Los Angeles over several nights. The violence highlighted deep ethnic tensions and discrimination against Latino communities.

1974Patty Hearst Kidnapped by SLA: The Symbionese Liberation Army, based partly in Los Angeles, kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst in one of the most bizarre criminal cases in American history, culminating in a televised shootout in South LA.

1984Second Los Angeles Olympic Games: LA hosted the Olympics again, and the Games generated a $215 million surplus — proving that the Olympics could be financially viable and changing how future Games were organized.

1928St. Francis Dam Disaster: The collapse of the St. Francis Dam in San Francisquito Canyon killed over 400 people in one of the worst civil engineering disasters in American history, and ended William Mulholland's career.