Century Stories

Most of the events that are featured in your “Stories That Shaped the Century” series are recounted in standard history books. But what I would like to know is what was the outcome of the other stories on the front pages you are reprinting.

For example, in addition to the article about the confrontation between the UAW and Ford (Oct. 18), the front page of the May 27, 1937 Times also carried a small story about six human ears being imported from China for experiments in plastic surgery techniques by a “Chinese savant” in Indianapolis. Unfortunately, the owners of the ears couldn’t come along because of immigration laws. One wonders what happened to those ears. Did they survive the experiments? Did they return to China for reattachment?

BILL SPANIEL

Valencia

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In reading The Times of Oct. 13, I noted two things. One was “LAPD Opposes New Powers for Civilian Advisory Boards.” The other was the cartoon on page 1 of the Oct. 30, 1929 Times, which was part of your retrospect on the stock market crash of 1929 (“Stories That Shaped the Century”). The cartoon had unknown politicians trying to control then-L.A. Police Chief Jim Davis.

Seventy years and nothing really changes in Los Angeles, does it?

BOB NORMANDY

La Crescenta