Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1882
The US Chinese Exclusion Act suspends new immigration from China, denies citizenship to those
already in the country and sanctions racially targeted laws that stay on the topics until 1943.
1892
Oil is discovered by Edward Doheny in downtown LA, near where Dodger Stadium stands today,
sparking a major oil boom. Within a decade, LA's population doubles to over 100,000 people.
1906
A massive earthquake levels entire blocks of San Francisco in less than a minute, setting off fires
that rage for three days. Survivors start rebuilding immediately.
1913
The Los Angeles Aqueduct, built under the direction of chief engineer William Mulholland, starts
supplying a thirsty metropolis with water controversially taken from the eastern Sierra Nevada.
1934
A longshoremen's strike in San Francisco ends with dozens of labor activists shot or beaten by
police. After mass funeral processions and a citywide strike, shipping magnates meet union de-
mands.
1942
During WWII, Executive Order 9066 sends nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans to internment
camps. The Japanese American Citizens League files lawsuits, providing legal support for the
1964 Civil Rights Act.
1943
Tension between Americans and Mexicans reaches boiling point during the Zoot Suit Riots, which
pit US military servicemen against zoot-suit-clad Mexican teens while LA police look on.
