motion picture industry, is a district in
Los Angeles. Many movies and television
shows are filmed in Hollywood
studios. Universal Studios also includes a
movie-related theme park. The Kodak
Theatre hosts the yearly Academy award
presentations. Celebrities are also honored
with displays at theWalk of Fame
and Mann’s Chinese Theatre.
Los Angeles surrounds the city of Beverly
Hills. It is known for its movie-star
residents and expensive stores.
Concerts, plays, and dance performances
are held at the Los Angeles Music Center.
It includes theWalt Disney Concert
Hall, home of the city’s orchestra. The
Getty Museum displays a large art collection.
Los Angeles also has a number
of professional sports teams.
Economy
The entertainment industry and tourism
are important to Los Angeles’ economy.
Trade, health care, and other services
also bring money to the city. Los Angeles
is a major manufacturing center. Factories
in the area process oil and make
airplanes, spacecraft, toys, clothing, and
electronics.
History
Los Angeles grew around a Spanish religious
settlement called a mission. Settlers
founded the town in 1781. It was
ruled by Spain and later Mexico. In
1846, during the MexicanWar, U.S.
forces captured Los Angeles.
Los Angeles grew very rapidly. Its population
went from about 11,000 in 1880
to more than 1 million in 1930. The
growth of the movie business and other
industries attracted more people to the
city. In the early 21st century Los Ange-
Classical music concerts are held at the
Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles,
California.
178 Los Angeles BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
les was still one of the fastest-growing
cities in the United States.
#More to explore
California • Movie
Louis XVI
Louis XVI was the last king of France
before the French Revolution. During
the revolution he lost his kingdom and
then his life.
Early Life
Louis was born on August 23, 1754, in
Versailles, France. In 1765 his father
died. When Louis was only 15 years old,
he married Marie-Antoinette of Austria.
Louis’s grandfather King Louis XV died
on May 10, 1774. Louis then became
king.
Reign
Louis was a weak king. He hired people
who tried to make the government fairer
and more modern. However, the French
nobles stopped these efforts.
Louis also sent ships and troops to support
the American Revolution. He did
this because he wanted to make trouble
for Great Britain. This effort was a success,
but it cost more than the kingdom
could afford to pay.
By 1789 the French people were very
angry about France’s money problems
and Louis’s weakness. They also disliked
Marie-Antoinette. The king needed
help, so he called together the Estates-
General. This was a group of representatives
made up of nobles, church leaders,
and common people. But the representatives
could not work together to solve
France’s problems.
In July 1789 the common people began
the French Revolution. Louis remained
king, but he grew afraid. In 1791 he
tried to slip out of France and into Austria.
The French people caught him and
took him back to his palace.
Last Days
Revolutionary troops took Louis prisoner
in August 1792. In September
France became a republic—a nation
ruled by the people instead of a king.
The people tried Louis for treason
(betraying his country), and he was
found guilty. On January 21, 1793, in
Paris, France, the French people put
King Louis XVI to death.
#More to explore
French Revolution • Marie-Antoinette
The painting shows Louis XVI in formal dress.
The younger
brother of
Louis XVI
became king
of France in
1814. He was
known as
Louis XVIII.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Louis XVI 179
Louisiana
The U.S. state of Louisiana has a
rich cultural history. Originally a
Spanish and French colony, Louisiana
existed as a settled area for a century
before it became part of the United
States. The French explorer Sieur de La
Salle chose the name Louisiana in honor
of King Louis XIV of France. The capital
is Baton Rouge.
Geography
Louisiana is located in the southern part
of the United States. It is bordered by
the state of Mississippi, the Mississippi
River, and the Pearl River to the east; by
Arkansas to the north; by Texas and the
Sabine River to the west; and by the
Gulf of Mexico to the south.
Louisiana is one of the flattest states in
the nation, and much of the area around
the Gulf coast is below sea level. The
state has thousands of miles of swampland
around the mouth of the Mississippi
River.Waterways known as bayous
pass through this area. Louisiana has a
humid climate that is hot in the summer
and mild in the winter. Hurricanes coming
out of the Gulf have often battered
the coastal areas.
People
About two thirds of Louisiana’s people
are whites of European heritage and
about one third are African American.
Descendants of the early French and
Spanish colonists are called Creoles.
Many of them are of mixed ancestry.
During the mid-1700s a group of
French-speaking people moved to Louisiana
from Canada. Their descendants
are known as Cajuns. They often live in
their own communities and speak their
own language, a combination of French
and other languages.
Economy
Louisiana is among the nation’s leading
