Above: a cover painted by Rafael de Soto for 1952’s Red Lion Inn, a drama set in gaslamp era London in the year 1900, written by British author, biographer, and historian Robert Payne. It’s about a girl who at seventeen becomes a barmaid, later a mistress and artist’s model, and finally tries to lure into marriage a titled rich man. His name? Lord Feversham. That seems to tell us everything we need to know about the book: breastbeater with a bit of low wattage eroticism. We took a pass, but we love the cover.
1954—First Church of Scientology Established
The first Scientology church, based on the writings of science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, is established in Los Angeles, California. Since then, the city has become home to the largest concentration of Scientologists in the world, and its ranks include high-profile adherents such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta.