These 48 fact-filled Knowledge Cards (read “flash cards”), will please Angelenos, visitors, and armchair travelers alike. The ‘front’ of each card shows a map detail and presents an address and date. On the reverse, or “answer” card, is a concise essay detailing What Happened There.

Long before the first Hollywood director yelled “Action!” the hills and seaside plains of Los Angeles provided the backdrop for dramatic events. You’ll find out what’s stuck in the La Brea Tar Pits, how a search for wild onions led to gold, and what movie Woodrow Wilson compared to “writing history with lightning.”Solid scholarship and lucid, casual writing, makes this deck an enjoyable and informative read.