“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.
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HAER, Reproduction number HAER FL-8-11-B…
On March 17, 1950, a team of scientists at the University of California, Berkeley announce the discovery of a new…
In the spring of 1899, news of a potential “plague ship” making its way from Japan to San Francisco spurs…
With a banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe at their head, 70 striking farmworkers led by Cesar Chavez leave Delano…
On June 6, 1980, the 4448th issue of the magazine "Science" is published, which includes an article by four Californians…
At 11 a.m. on Washington’s Birthday, February 22, 1856, the Sacramento Valley Railroad inaugurates service to Folsom, as the locomotive…
Triggering a national and international outcry, the San Francisco school board issues an order on October 11, 1906, requiring all…
It's 5:54 p.m. on Friday, March 10, 1933. A 6.4 magnitude earthquake sweeps throughout Southern California, concentrating much of its…
California State Library California’s men narrowly grant California’s women the right to vote on October 10, 1911. Approval of the…
The Constitutional Convention at Monterey adopts California's Great Seal on October 2, 1849. The debate over the final design is…