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Lost LA
Wild L.A.
Season 1
Episode 1
The premiere episode, "Wild L.A.," unwraps the complicated relationship between the city and its natural environment. The program explores the origin of the Santa Ana winds, that infamous weather phenomenon that trigger allergies, fray nerves and alarm fire-prone communities. The series also examines the demise of the grizzly bear in Southern California, an animal once revered by indigenous peoples but later targeted by Europeans as a threat to safety and security.
Lesson Plan: What impact has urban development had on biodiversity in the Los Angeles area?
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27:05
Trace the devastation of the 1928 St. Francis Dam collapse and its deadly flood.
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26:40
How Cold War vigilance and secrecy shaped Southern California culture.
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26:39
The Space Shuttle Endeavour’s journey is traced from its origins.
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26:40
Tiki culture isn’t a Polynesian import — it’s a Hollywood creation.

26:49
Archives reveal the “forgotten plague” that shaped Southern California: tuberculosis.

26:50
Visit Hollywood Forever, Evergreen and Forest Lawn, where L.A. reinvented the cemetery.
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26:40
The hiker-activists who led Angelenos into their hills and onto the trails.
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26:39
How Filipino Americans in Southern California are making their heritage more visible.
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26:47
Iconic fast-food chains from McDonald’s to Taco Bell were born in SoCal.

26:37
After internment camps, Japanese Americans made L.A.'s Crenshaw neighborhood their home.
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26:04
During WWII, L.A. became a sanctuary for Europe’s accomplished artists and intellectuals.