It was 20 years ago today

The population of Los Angeles County tops 7 million for the first time since 1970, when a three-year diaspora of 269,000 residents began, for which the 1971 Sylmar earthquake and layoffs in the aerospace industry are blamed.

* The space shuttle Enterprise performs free-flight tests over Edwards Air Force Base that are “full of grace,” The Times reports.

* Using 96 pounds of plastic explosives, a Navy demolitions team sinks the Liberty ship Palawan in Santa Monica Bay to provide an artificial reef for sportfishing. The 420-foot ship takes 30 minutes to founder.