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Sometimes, something good comes out of an earthquake-even the one in 1933, when Southern California was rocked by its severest tremor in modern history.
But only veteran officials and aviation historians remember that from that temblor came a public service that not only still benefits the area's inhabitants, but has been copied by law enforcement officers in many countries.
To better appreciate this public service, it is necessary to go back to 5:45 p.m. Friday, March 10, 1933, when most Southlanders were sitting down to their evening meal-one that many never finished when their repast was interrupted by the area's most disastrous earthquake in loss of life and property damage.
About 15 seconds later, the major tremor ended, leaving 120 dead and property damage of more than 60 million in Depression dollars.
Hardest hit was Long Beach, which acquired the dubious distinction of having the quake named after it, though the jolt, which had its epicenter off Newport Beach, fanned out from the Inglewood-Newport fault line, causing death, injury and destruction in Compton, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Fullerton, Inglewood, the beach communities and parts of Los Angeles.
With 52 dead, hundreds...