“There’s only the American Dream and the California dream.”
—Gov. Gavin Newsom
This year marks the 175th anniversary of California’s admission to the U.S. as the 31st state. But statehood wasn’t the beginning of the story. Celebrating California is a collection of 175 stories that highlight California’s unique history and role in the world. The goal is to offer examples of California’s unique character and that of its residents, past and present. That means among the good there will be some bad. For every success story, there’s a failure, a tragedy, an injustice. It’s from these mistakes that we learn and grow stronger together. Share a story with us that helps define what California means to you.
Chinatown Alley/Bancroft Library It is nearly dusk on December 14, 1933 when a Chinese teen named Jeung Gwai Ying flees…
In 1940, the Treasury Department holds a contest to choose an artist to paint a series of murals for the…
Three fishermen from Lone Pine become the first recorded to reach the 14,505 summit of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak…
Phyllis Diller, 37, mother of five, former San Leandro News-Observer shopping columnist, gets her first stand-up comedy gig at San…
Jackie Robinson is best known for becoming the first Black player in Major League Baseball when he joins the Brooklyn…
On January 20, 2021, amidst political turmoil and civil unrest, Kamala D. Harris makes history as she is sworn in…
Catherine Hittell is passionate about wildlife preservation. Saving the meadowlark from extinction, in particular. During the 19th Century and the…
On her 100th birthday in 1962, Lydia Flood Jackson is honored by the City of Oakland as their oldest living…
Her Indian name, or at least one of her Indian names, the only one any of us know, is Tsupu. She…