About Don't Know Beach About History: Short Histories of Long Beach
In this new local history podcast, Long Beach Public Library explores the fascinating--and sometimes unbelievable--stories that have helped make Long Beach the great and unique city it is. Buckle up! This is not your grandmother's local history podcast!
Devil in the Schools! The Folk Dancing Panic of 1916
Old-timey Long Beach in 1916 had bath houses, jitney buses, electric cars, pushball fever, no booze--and a moral panic about folk dancing in school that nearly brought the school board down.
28 May 2026
Murder on the Beach! Long Beach in 1899
Old‑timey Long Beach in 1899 was booming with bicycles, electricity, tent cities, and tasty waves—not to mention a headline‑grabbing murder that stunned the tiny new town. Join us as we explore the wild early days of the “Queen of the Beaches” and the murder that shook it.
21 Nov 2023
Roy Beebe and His Incredible "Cosmic Ray" Machine!: The 1940s Health Scam Guru Who Shook Up Long Beach
Each day in the late 1940s, thousands of sick people visited the residential Long Beach home of Roy Beebe, a self-styled "scientist" whose homemade "cosmic ray" machine was said to cure all of mankind's ills.Beebe's "cosmic ray" laboratory and its growing army of true believers made national news as a normally quiet Long Beach neighborhood was overrun with thousands of desperate patients seeking treatment from the mysterious machine.Was it all a scam? Join us, won't you?
31 Oct 2023
The Spruce Goose! Howard Hughes in Long Beach 1947
With a wingspan as wide as a football field, the Spruce Goose was the largest plane ever built. The craft—designed by eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes and made out of wood—was intended for use in WWII, but the plane wasn't finished until after the war was already over. Under intense pressure from the government to show results, and still recovering from a major crash of his own, Hughes took the Spruce Goose out for its one and only test flight in Long Beach harbor in November ...
3 Oct 2023
Minerva's Mailbag! 1920s Letters from Young Women in Long Beach
In 1923, the Long Beach Press began an advice column—Minerva's Mailbag, later changed to Tell It to Mary—geared toward the young women of Long Beach.What problems were vexing the teen girls and emerging adult women of Long Beach? Join us for an absolutely terrif discussion about flappers, dating, petting, loneliness, and upturned gender norms in a hotsy-totsy, yet topsy-turvy, time of rapid change in Long Beach.
19 Sept 2023
The Babbitt Murders of 1924! Part Two
It's money, murder, and madness in old timey Long Beach as our case goes to trial! Join us for the final installment of this tale of greed, guns, drugs, ice cream, oil scams, Charlie Chaplin, and Ponzi schemes among the upper class in Long Beach's golden age!
5 Sept 2023
The Babbitt Murders of 1924! Part One
Did a prominent Long Beach businessman get away with killing his wife and his business partner? Probably! Join us for a tale of greed, guns, drugs, ice cream, and con games as we deep-dive into a case of murder most foul among the elite business class in Long Beach's golden age!
22 Aug 2023
Elvis in Long Beach 1956!
In June 1956, just days after his infamous hip-thrusting performance on the Milton Berle Show, young rocker Elvis Presley came to Long Beach to play the Municipal Auditorium and a near-riot broke out. What did Long Beach teens and grown-ups think of Elvis and this new dangerous thing called rock and roll?
13 Mar 2021
Tiger Girl Murder! Part Two
On July 12, 1922, two young women spent the day in a Long Beach speakeasy, drinking and commiserating about their unfaithful husbands. That evening, on a remote road in Los Angeles, one of those women would beat a romantic rival to death with a hammer. The brutal murder case became one of Southern California's very first trials of the century, with the accused becoming the object of almost cult-like fascination in the public.
10 Mar 2021
Tiger Girl Murder! Part One
On July 12, 1922, two young women spent the day in a Long Beach speakeasy, drinking and commiserating about their unfaithful husbands. That evening, on a remote road in Los Angeles, one of those women would beat a romantic rival to death with a hammer. The brutal murder case became one of Southern California's very first trials of the century, with the accused becoming the object of almost cult-like fascination in the public.
6 Jan 2021
The Pike Mummy!: The Unbelievable Tale of the Dead Body in the Fun House
In 1976, a film crew for The Six Million Dollar Man was prepping for a shoot in the Laff-in-the-Dark fun house at the Pike in Long Beach when they discovered that a wax dummy hanging from a noose was actually the real human body of an embalmed gunslinger shot by a posse in 1911. Wha? Join us as we explore this amazing, truly strange story and how carnival lore and forensic science helped solve the case of mummy in the fun house.
6 Oct 2020
The Wrigley Ocean Marathon!: 1927's Brutal Swimming Race From Catalina to the California Mainland
1927’s Wrigley Ocean Marathon was an epic and brutal swimming race from the island of Catalina to the mainland of California, a feat never before recorded. Many of the world’s most famous swimmers came to Long Beach to train and compete for the race’s $25,000 prize. In this episode, we’ll look at how two virtually unknown swimmers—George Young of Canada and Myrtle Huddleston of Long Beach—battled severe exhaustion, fierce currents, frigid water, disorienting fog, and a barracuda a...
1 Sept 2020
Babe Ruth Gets Arrested in Long Beach!, Part Two
In 1927, legendary baseballer Babe Ruth was arrested before his scheduled appearance at the State Theater, a vaudeville house in Long Beach, California.In this two-part episode, we take a deep dive into the Sultan of Swat's epic visit to Long Beach--complete with Prohibition-era boozing, duck hunting, and an unhinged plane flight to make it to the show on time--and detail the events that led to the Babe's arrest for violating child labor laws.
13 Aug 2020
Babe Ruth Gets Arrested in Long Beach!, Part One
In 1927, legendary baseballer Babe Ruth was arrested before his scheduled appearance at the State Theater, a vaudeville house in Long Beach, California.In this two-part episode, we take a deep dive into the Sultan of Swat's epic visit to Long Beach--complete with Prohibition-era boozing, duck hunting, and an unhinged plane flight to make it to the show on time--and detail the events that led to the Babe's arrest for violating child labor laws.
18 Jun 2020
Flagpole Sitter!: The Daredevil Clown Who Tried to Put Long Beach in the Record Books
In the summer of 1948, a tightrope-walking clown named Ozzie Osborne climbed up the center pole of the Sky Ride attraction at the Pike in Long Beach, California. Sitting 200 feet in the air, Ozzie faced all manner of danger—from night bats to severely swollen legs to a serious challenge from his archrival in San Francisco—as he attempted to break the recognized flagpole-sitting world record of 49 days. Join us as we tell Ozzie’s remarkable story of determination, bravery, and sitt...
16 Jun 2020
Minnie the Whale, Part One: The Absolutely True Tale of the Whale Skeleton Who Came to Town
In May 1897, two teenage boys saw a 63-foot fin whale foundering off the shore near Long Beach, California. With the help of some local donkeys, the boys were able to pull the massive whale on shore. This is the story of that whale and how its skeleton became a beloved local celebrity, helping put Long Beach on the map in the city’s early days. Join us as we follow Minnie’s ever-so-slightly incredible adventures through 20th century Long Beach.
16 Jun 2020
Minnie the Whale, Part Two: The Absolutely True Tale of the Whale Skeleton Who Came to Town
In May 1897, two teenage boys saw a 63-foot fin whale foundering off the shore near Long Beach, California. With the help of some local donkeys, the boys were able to pull the massive whale on shore. This is the story of that whale and how its skeleton became a beloved local celebrity, helping put Long Beach on the map in the city’s early days. Join us as we follow Minnie’s ever-so-slightly incredible adventures through 20th century Long Beach.
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