Pinpointing the birthplace of neon signage

For decades, it has been widely accepted that businessman Earle C. Anthony’s “Packard” at 7th and Flower streets in downtown Los Angeles was the first neon sign in the country. But is that true? Dydia DeLyser and her research partner, Paul Greenstein, came upon an “aha!” photograph that says it is not.

Greenstein examines the photograph that proves L.A. wasn’t the site of the nation’s first neon billboard. But what city was? New York? Or even San Francisco?  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)