How the California grizzly bear went extinct and found its way onto the California state flag

KCET, LA as Subject, and USC Libraries have teamed up to produce this fantastic video series called Lost LA that tracks the history of Southern California through the library's archives. The series is 3-parts, with the first part airing on February 2 @ 9PM on KCET. However, you can watch the first episode right now on YouTube for free.

The first episode focuses on the extinct California grizzly bear which can still be seen to this day on the California state flag. The episode explains how these bears were once plentiful in the region but were hunted to extinction mainly because these bears enjoyed doing what humans also like doing -- going to the beach and lounging around. The episode then goes on to explain how the Santa Ana winds came to be named and how it affected and still affects Southern California culture today.

Here's a schedule of when the other episodes will go on air.