We’d love to share with you a little bit of history and interesting facts about different places in LA you might never heard about. Learn about the University of Southern California, Exposition Park Rose Garden, Natural History Museum of LA and California Science Center. Beware, the 50 facts we’ll tell you about not only will teach you more about LA but might spark a desire to take a tour to California and visit Los Angeles personally.
Travel to LA and see the University of Southern California
Have you ever thought to pursue the higher education in the oldest private academic research institution in Southern California? As well as to complete academic assignments in the Widney Alumni House which is the most ancient university edifice in the state. Still not convinced? And if we say that it is one of the top 25 best academies in the US and the most popular place in LAA
Prestige University
Now, it does seem improbable but when USC started its work in 1880 it had only 53 scholars, 10 lecturers and $15 cost of learning per term. Nowadays, USC has approximately 45 500 students, its teaching staff includes over than 4,000 members and its tuition and fees are almost $54 000.
Since 1895 cardinal and gold have been remaining the school official colors. And “Palmam qui meruit ferat” which means “Achievement should be rewarded” is the University motto which has been guiding the scholars for more than 100 years. Being USC favorite mascot, the Traveler, the noble white horse has been appeared at all USC home football games since 1961.
“Faithful, Scholarly, Skillful, Courageous, Ambitious.” – says the inscription in the granite pedestal of Trojan Shrine, widely known as Tommy Trojan. Well, no wonder that USC students are also called Trojans, personified by the above-mentioned statue. Actually, this tradition goes back to 1912 when Los Angeles Times reporter Owen Bird compared the fighting spirit of USC athletes with the morale of the ancient Trojans.
World-famous Alumni
It is common knowledge that LA is considered to be the world’s largest entrepreneurial hub, but not everyone knows that USC is the largest private recruiter in it. World-known corporations such as Lucasfilm, Myspace, Salesforce.com, Intuit, Qualcomm, Box, Tinder, and Riot Games were created and founded by prominent USC graduates.
Speaking of notable alumni, USC was alma mater for George Lucas, Will Ferrell, Neil Armstrong, Frank Gehry, Gary Anderson, John Wayne, and many other renowned sports stars, entrepreneurs, and movie celebrities.
With 288 Olympic medals including 135 golds USC is the synonym of high sport achievements. Besides, Institute is also known for its love to football. First game played by University team in 1888 ended with a score of USC 16, opponent 0. Today USC takes part in 11 National Football Championships and boasts 7 Heisman Trophy winners.
You’re clearly not a sports fan? Institute is also proud of its alumni annually got an Oscar nom since the Academy Awards were founded in 1929. 18. And that’s not all. The Spirit of Troy, the legendary Trojan Marching Band is the only ensemble in the whole US that can boast two platinum records and which was honored to perform in numerous global events like the both Summer Olympics in LA, the Oscar ceremonies and Grammy awards.
University’s “Fight On” song written by its dental student had been a source of inspiration for military personnel in the Aleutians Campaign in times of WWII. 20. Besides, at the same time USC participated in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which was an opportunity to students to go to active duty as a member of Marine Corps.
Inventions and Recognition
But the University is among popular places in LA not only for its students and graduates. Did you know that color television owes its origin to invention of Geer color tube in the 1950s by USC physics Professor Willard Geer. And USC English Professor Frank C. Baxter earned two Emmy awards for his creation of “Shakespeare on TV,” the first USC course taught on TV for credit.
Housing the most powerful quantum computer in the world USC is also where the antivirus software, VoIP, dynamic programming, DNA computing and some other outstanding technologies were created. The legend has that the 5th University President Rufus von KleinSmid had a huge fight with architect and this quarrel was reflected at the Gwynn Wilson Student Union building there you can see that monkey gargoyle thumbs his nose at the bust of president.
Take a tour to the place which according to IMDB was filming location for about 200 movies and TV series. “Forrest Gump”, “Legally Blonde”, “The Social Network” and “Beverly Hills, 90210” are just few to mention.
Visit Los Angeles for Exposition Park Rose Garden
Covering area of 7 acres and consisting of incredibly beautiful roses of more than 200 varieties, a gazebo, a fountain, and an Old Armory Building, the timeless Rose Garden celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2017.
Being one of the most popular places in LA, this huge lush park attracts over a million people annually and it is no surprise that it’s a perfect place for banquets, meditations and photo shoots. But this unique picturesque area several times was under threat of demolishing due to the plans of underground parking garage construction and conversion into practice field for the famous Los Angeles Raiders football team.
Actually, Rose Garden has a historical value holding a spot on the National Register of Historic Places having once housed a race track, brothel, bar, and carriage house. Moreover, the Garden boasts four marble statues by prominent Danish sculptor Thyra Boldsen symmetrically located at the four corners of the green area.
If one park is not enough for you we also recommend to see the Grand Park.
Take a tour to Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
The first mention of the Museum dates back to 1913, when its original edifice was established. Nowadays, being the biggest natural and historical museum in the western US, facility enshrines an expansive collection of approximately 35 million specimens and artifacts.
If you love dinosaurs then this museum is definitely for you! Its Pleistocene paleontology collection is the most esteemed one and from Pterosaurs to T-Rex relatives, to Stegosaurus it’s all can be found here. So when planning the list to visit popular places in LA, don’t forget to include LA Natural History Museum.
The Museum boasts 4.5 billion year-old meteorites in the Gem and Mineral Hall. And did you know that the baby sperm whale in the Age of Mammals exhibition is the only baby fossil sperm whale ever presented, anywhere? Besides, the Zed is the first complete, semi-articulated Columbian mammoth specimen which was found during LACMA’s parking area construction. Just take a glance at its complete large tusks.
Get impressed by the enormous 18 feet-long 2500-pound skull from a blue whale which, by the way, is the largest natural object in the Museum’s collections. The Museum’s Crustacea Department with its vast collection of specimens from Mojave Desert is another great reason to travel to LA. That sounds unbelievable but the eggs deposited by these animals can survive in times of drought and remain dry for more than 100 years.
Take tour to this museum for its magnificent Rotunda, unusual and extraordinary place and hot filming location. Marvel at “Three Muses”, an elegant statue devoted to History, Science and Art, and dive into a beautifully preserved atmosphere of grandeur and opulence, beneath the impressive glass-domed roof.
Travel to LA to visit California Science Center
Visit Los Angeles for an amazing science lesson in 3D. Deepen your knowledge about aerodynamics, discover the commonalities of the living world, immerse yourself in 11 different environments and enjoy other interactive exhibits as well as the 7-storey IMAX movies.
The California Science Canter’s Ecosystems exhibit boasts an unprecedented combination of almost 400 unique species of flora and fauna, adding it to the list of the most popular places in LA. It’s also proud of its almost 200 000 gallon kelp tank which hosts a rich portion of kelp, fish and other marine life.
This hands-on, try-it-out place traces its beginnings to 1912 when the first State Exposition Building was founded in order to introduce to citizens and city visitors the agricultural natural resources and manufactured goods from all over the state. And in 1951, it was redesigned and turned into the California Museum of Science.
Edifice suffered heavy damage as a result of Northridge earthquake in 1994 and was shuttered in 1996 to prepare for a new facility. Shortly after it was closed California Science Center was reopened in 1998 as an ultramodern interactive museum providing innovative methods for studying the science. As a result, the facility became one of popular places in LA known as well as the most spacious science museum in the western US when The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center with extra 188 000 square feet will commence it work in 2019.
In 2012 renowned space shuttle Endeavour finally had found its home in the Science Center. Eventually, museum was honored by many prestigious awards like Treasure of Los Angeles and California Image Award and was recognized as one of the nation’s “Top 10” science museums by American Mensa in 2013.
