Los Angeles

Lore & Background

The area was originally inhabited by the Tongva people. It was claimed for Spain in 1542 by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo. The city was founded on September 4, 1781, under Spanish governor Felipe de Neve, on the village of Yaanga. It became part of the First Mexican Empire in 1821, and in 1848 was ceded to the United States via the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4, 1850. The discovery of oil in the 1890s and the completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913 brought rapid growth.

In Their Own Story

The year is 1997. Dr. Proton, a mad scientist, has unleashed his army of Techbots upon the world. Los Angeles is the first city to fall, its streets and buildings now crawling with mechanical enemies. Duke Nukem, the only hero willing to take on the task, fights through ten levels of the devastated city. The final level of the episode has no exit; instead, Duke must find and defeat Dr. Proton to complete the episode. The game's shareware release made this first episode widely available, introducing players to the character and the setting.

Reader's Guide

Los Angeles lies mostly in the Los Angeles Basin adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, extending partly through the Santa Monica Mountains and into the San Fernando Valley. It covers about 469 square miles. It is the county seat of Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the U.S. The city has a diverse economy, is a major hub for film and television production, and has one of the busiest container ports in the Americas. It hosted the Summer Olympics in 1932 and 1984, and will host again in 2028.

Did You Know?

• Los Angeles first appears in the 1991 game 'Duke Nukem', not in 'Duke Nukem 3D, Episode 1: L.A. Meltdown'.
• The resolution to Duke University's trademark allegation was an agreement to always use the full name 'Duke Nukem'.