Smoglandia Pt 1: L.A. SMOG – VERY OLD-SCHOOL

About this episode

The episode explores the historical context of smog in Los Angeles through the insights of curator Regan Dunn.

Don’t blame us – blame our geography! Modern LA earned its first smoggy nickname 450 years ago, as the “bay of smokes.” At the La Brea tar pits, we take a short walk through a long history with curator Regan Dunn, who explains how and why the first Angelenos, 130 centuries ago, would have set fires that filled the broad bowl of LA and foretold the curse of smog. Fast forward thousands of years to the early 1940s, and the renowned artist Helen Pashgian, who grew up in Altadena back when the light around LA – once so radiant and cool – was slowly smothered by the blight from wartime industries that hurt her schoolgirl lungs and blotted out the once-glorious vistas.

People in this episode

Guest: Regan Dunn

Topics covered

• smog
• history
• Los Angeles
• environment
• art
• geography

Keywords

• smog
• Los Angeles
• Regan Dunn
• Helen Pashgian
• La Brea tar pits
• history
• environment

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Los Angeles, Altadena, La Brea tar pits

More episodes of Boiling Point

• Introducing: The De Los Podcast · June 3, 2026 · 12 min
• Smoglandia Pt 6: FUTURE ELECTRIC, FUTURE TROUBLE · December 11, 2025 · 45 min
• Smoglandia Pt 5: SMOG CHECK AND DOUBLE CHECK · December 4, 2025 · 38 min
• Smoglandia Pt 4: SCIENCE AND GOVERNMENT, BESTIES? · November 20, 2025 · 36 min
• Smoglandia Pt 3: COUGH COUGH · November 13, 2025 · 34 min
• Smoglandia Pt 2: SCIENCE TO THE RESCUE · November 6, 2025 · 33 min