In this aerial shot from 1918, we’re looking at the six-way intersection of Beverly, Canon and Lomitas Drives in Beverly Hills. Even today, no traffic lights control this intersection, so negotiating your way through it requires a combination of courtesy, eye contact, and grit. Back then, you might be the only vehicle in sight. There is only a handful of houses in Beverly Hills, the famous palm trees are still babies, and huge swaths of land are untouched. That triangular park at the lower left is now called Will Rogers Memorial Park and stands across Sunset Blvd from the Beverly Hills Hotel, which was only 6 years old when this photo was taken.

In this satellite image from 2021, we can see that every square inch of land surrounding that six-way intersection is now accounted for.