November 13
Exploration in 1542
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, Portuguese explorer for the Spanish king, named Cabo de Pinos, now known as Point Reyes. He searching for a safe harbor for Spanish galleons returning from the Philippines.
Government in 1849
California’s constitution, one of the longest in the world, was adopted before it become a U.S. state. The constitution was written at Colton Hall, which also housed a school house and a jail.
Colton Hall, site of the constitutional convention
Post Offices in 1882
Dunlap post office opened. The small community east of Fresno is named for George Dunlap Moss, a school teacher.
Movies in 1921
“The Sheik,” a silent film was released. It made Rudolph Valentino a star.
Rudolph Valentino.
Movies in 1940
Walt Disney released “Fantasia,” an animated musical film and the first commercial film with stereo sound. It lost money at first but became one of the highest-grossing film of all time in the U.S.
Reggie Jackson (1969).
Sports in 1973
Reggie Jackson, Oakland A’s, won the American League MVP Award.
Sports in 1974
Steve Garvey, Los Angeles Dodgers, won the National League MVP Award.
Sports in 1990
Bob Welch, Oakland A’s, won the American League Cy Young Award.
Sports in 1996
Ken Caminiti, San Diego Padres, won the National League MVP Award.
Fires in 2008
The Montecito Tea Fire in San Barbara County destroyed 210 homes. It started at a historic building called the “Tea House.”
November 14
Exploration in 1792
English Captain George Vancouver, on a 4 1/2 year voyage of exploration and diplomacy around the world, anchored in San Francisco Bay. The commandant welcomed him at the Spanish Royal Presidio.
San Francisco Presidio in 1816
Libraries in 1890
Santa Monica Public Library moved into two rooms in the Bank of Santa Monica building at Oregon Avenue (later Santa Monica Boulevard) and Third Street. It began as a reading room next to Dr. Fred McKinnie’s drug store in 1884.
Bank of Santa Monica building, later the California Bank (1890).
KNSD.
Television in 1965
KNSD, channel 39 in San Diego, began broadcasting. It started as independent station KAAR, the first in San Diego to operate on the UHF band.
Science in 1967
Theodore Maiman, of the Atomic Physics Department at Hughes Aircraft Company headquartered in Glendale, patented the world’s first laser.
Sports in 1979
Don Baylor, California Angels, won the American League Most Valuable Player Award.
Flight in 1981
Space Shuttle Columbia 2 landed at Edwards Air Force Base. It was the second Space Shuttle mission conducted by NASA, the second flight of Columbia and the first time a manned vehicle returned from space for a second time.
Sports in 1989
Mark Davis, San Diego Padres reliever, won the National League Cy Young Award.
Theater in 1997
Disney’s “Lion King” set a Broadway record of $2,700,000 in sales in one day.
Fires in 2008
The Sayre Fire, also called the Sylmar Fire, burned 489 homes in Los Angeles. It was the worst loss of homes to fire in Los Angeles history.
Sayre Sylmar Fire thermal map (2008).
November 15
Transportation in 1847
The Sitka, a Russian-American Company steamboat, returned from a trip up the Sacramento River to John Sutter’s New Helvetia. The 37-foot side-wheel steamer was delivered to San Francisco in pieces aboard a Russian bark from Sitka, Alaska.
San Francisco (1847).
Movies in 1929
Walt Disney released “Jungle Rhythm,” a short film featuring Mickey Mouse playing music using jungle animals.
Disney in 1932
Walt Disney opened an art school for his animators.
Disney animation art (1933).
Cow Palace.
Arenas in 1941
The Cow Palace opened in Daly City. Rodeos, ice shows, political conventions, professional basketball, ice hockey and concerts by the Grateful Dead, Santana and Prince have happened there.
Television in 1949
KRON-TV, in San Francisco, began broadcasting. It is the third oldest station in the Bay Area. Today it broadcasts more news than any local television station in California.
KRON
Elgin Baylor.
Sports in 1960
Elgin Baylor of the Los Angeles Lakers scored 71 points and grabbed 25 rebounds against the New York Knicks.
Sports in 1962
Don Drysdale, Los Angeles Dodgers, won the Cy Young Award.
Flight in 1967
Michael Adams, Air Force test pilot, lost control of his X-15 aircraft which disintegrated mid-air over the Mojave Desert. Wreckage was strewn over 60 miles.
North American X-15.
Intel logo (1968-2005).
Business in 1971
Intel, in Santa Clara, released the first commercial single-chip microprocessor.
Sports in 1988
Kirk Gibson, Los Angeles Dodgers, won the National League Most Valuable Player Award.
Fires in 2008
The Freeway Complex Fire or Triangle Complex Fire destroyed 314 homes in Anaheim Hills and Yorba Linda.
Freeway Complex Fire (2008).
November 16
Col. John C. Fremont, Republican candidate for the President of the United States by Baker & Godwin
War in 1846
Mexican militia attacked John Fremont’s California Battalion near San Juan Bautista in the Battle of Natividad. Fremont’s men were traveling south to join U.S. invasion forces on their way to Los Angeles.
Crime in 1939
Al Capone, convicted gang leader who served time at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, was released from prison.
Al Capone mug shot.
Gable in 1960
Clark Gable, legendary actor, died in West Hollywood at age 59. He is best known for roles in “Gone With the Wind” (1939) and “Run Silent, Run Deep” (1958).
Sports in 1962
Wilt Chamberlain, San Francisco Warriors, scored 73 points against the New York Knicks.
Wilt Chamberlain.
Sports in 1976
Rick Barry, San Francisco Warriors, ended the then-longest NBA streak of 60 free throws.
Holden in 1981
William Holden, actor, died in Santa Monica at age 63. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in “Stalag 17” (1953).
Flight in 1982
Space Shuttle Columbia 5 landed at Edwards Air Force Base.
Space Shuttle Columbia landing at Edwards AFB (1982).
Sports in 1988
Jose Canseco, Oakland A’s, won the American League Most Valuable Player.
Los Angeles Department of Water & Power.
Business in 1997
The Los Angeles Times reported that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was $7.5 billion in debt. $4.8 billion of the debt was off the books.
Environment in 1999
California sued the U.S. government to block extensions on 36 undeveloped offshore oil leases signed by the Clinton administration.
Business in 1999
Genentech, in Vacaville, agreed to settle a 10-year patent infringement dispute with the University of California for $200 million.
Genentech.
Edwards in 2005
Ralph Edwards, radio pioneer and television host, died in West Hollywood at age 92. He was best known for the radio show “Truth or Consequences” (1940) and television show “This is Your Life” (1948-1952).
Crime in 2006
Federal agents arrested 24 people in San Francisco on drug charges following a 4-month undercover investigation targeting gangs in the Western Addition.
Milton Freidman (1983).
Friedman in 2006
Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize winning economist, died in San Francisco at age 94. He popularized the idea that free markets, not governments, are best at improving living standards.
Crime in 2007
A San Diego County task force broke up an organized auto theft ring in the South Bay. It was the largest auto theft ring bust in San Diego County and possibly in California.
San Diego County car thieves (2007).
Francis William Reimers.
Crime in 2007
Francis William Reimers, of Oakland and Danville, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison. He swindled millions from former friends.
Transportation in 2009
Metro Gold Line began regular service from Union Station to Atlantic Boulevard in Los Angeles. The new extension cost $898 million.
Gold Line map.
Legislative Analyst’s Office.
Government in 2011
A California Legislative Analyst’s Office reported the state will collect billions of dollars less in revenue than expected and expected a budget deficit of $13 billion in the 2012-2013 fiscal year.
Protests in 2011
After California State University trustees raised tuition by 9%, protesters in Long Beach clashed with police at the system’s headquarters. Protestors confronted California State University police after being ejected from the university’s board of trustees meeting (2011).
A protester from the Occupy San Francisco movement is arrested by police after the group took over a Bank of America branch in San Francisco (2011).
Protests in 2011
Police arrested 95 protesters in San Francisco who occupied a downtown Bank of America office.
Google.
Business in 2011
Google launched its online music service, Google Play Music.
Business in 2012
Activision, headquartered in Santa Monica, grossed $500 million from “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2” in 24 hours. It was the biggest entertainment launch in history.
November 17
San Francisco in 1853
Street signs were authorized at San Francisco intersections.
Montgomery and Clay Streets, San Francisco in 1859. Photograph from the Library of Congress
Transportation in 1889
The Union Pacific Railroad Co. began direct, daily railroad service between Chicago and San Francisco.
George Sterling.
Sterling in 1926
George Sterling, poet and critic, poisoned himself at the Bohemian Club in San Francisco. His wife committed suicide by poison in 1918.
Politics in 1947
Members of the Screen Actors Guild had to swear they were not Communists if they wanted work in the film industry.
Screen Actors Guild.
Willie McCovey (1978).
Sports in 1959
Willie McCovey, San Francisco Giants, won the National League Rookie of Year Award.
Jails in 1980
Contra Costa County opened a new $24.5 million jail in Martinez with single cells for 382 inmates.
Rolle in 1998
Esther Rolle, actress, died in Culver City at age 78. She won an Emmy award for her role in “Good Times” (1974-1979).
Yahoo!
Business in 2008
Jerry Yang, co-founder and CEO of Yahoo in Sunnyvale, resigned as CEO but continued as “Chief Yahoo” and remained on the company’s board.
Protests in 2010
Some 300 students and employees at U.C. San Francisco’s Mission Bay campus protested a sixth tuition increase in four years. Tuition went up 8% the next day.
University of California protest (2010).
U.C. Berkeley activists (2011).
Protests in 2011
Police cleared the Occupy California camp in U.C. Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza. They arrested two protesters and removed about 20 tents.
November 18
Pismo Beach.
Ranchos in 1840
Rancho Pismo was deeded. The 8,839-acre Mexican land grant encompassed modern Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, Shell Beach and parts of Arroyo Grande.
Education in 1849
John and Amanda Pelton opened the first free public school in San Francisco.
San Francisco in 1849
Jumping frog contest.
Literature in 1865
Mark Twain’s short story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” was published in the New York Saturday Press.
Flight in 1913
Lincoln Beachey, flying over San Diego, performed the first airplane loop-the-loop.
Lincoln Beachey.
Crime in 1921
The trial of Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, actor, began. He was accused of accidentally killing Virginia Rappe at a party at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco.
Movies in 1928
Mickey Mouse premiered in “Steamboat Willie,” the first animated film with synchronized music and sound effects.
Transportation in 1936
Two sections of the main span of the Golden Gate Bridge, connecting San Francisco to Marin County, were joined.
Golden Gate Bridge (1936). Courtesy the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.
Sports in 1966
Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles Dodgers award-winning pitcher, announced his retirement from baseball due to an arthritic left elbow.
Crime in 1978
California Congressman Leo Ryan and members of a delegation investigating Jim Jones Peoples Temple in Guyana were murdered. That was followed by murder and suicide at the temple compound in which 918 people died including 260 children.
Rizzoli in 1981
Achilles Rizzoli, artist born in Marin, died in San Francisco at age 85. His architectural drawings, many of imaginary worlds, were found after his death.
Achilles Rizzoli.
Sports in 2003
Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants, won a record sixth National League Most Valuable Player award.
Genentech.
Business in 2004
Genentech, in South San Francisco, announced Food and Drug Administration approval of Tarceva, an experimental lung cancer drug.
Government in 2009
California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office reported that the state would have a $20.7 billion deficit next year.
Legislative Analyst’s Office.
George Djura Jakubec.
Crime in 2010
Police arrested George Djura Jakubec, from Serbia when they found explosives at his home in Escondido.
Churches in 2011
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange County bought the bankrupt Protestant Crystal Cathedral megachurch for $57.5 million and renamed it Christ Cathedral.
Protests in 2011
U.C. Davis officers pepper-sprayed protesters as onlookers shrieked and screamed for them to stop.
November 19
Inventions in 1895
Jenny LaPlace of San Francisco patented a milk can cover. “My invention relates to improvements made in milk-cans used for the transportation of milk; and it has for its object, mainly, to provide perfect ventilation of the can, to exclude dust, flies, and insects, and at the same time prevent the contents from being thrown out.”
Jenny LaPlace milk can cover patent (1895).
Sports in 2001
Barry Bonds became the first baseball player to win four Most Valuable Player Awards.
Intel logo (1968-2005).
Business in 2004
Intel Corporation, in Santa Clara, the world’s largest computer chip maker, announced it would spend $40 million to expand in the southern Indian city of Bangalore over the next two years.
Politics in 2007
Debra Bowen, California Secretary of State, sued Election Systems and Software for allegedly selling nearly 1,000 un-certified machines to San Francisco and other counties. Bowen sought reimbursements of nearly $15 million.
Marijuana leaf.
Crime in 2008
State and federal officials seized 5.2 million marijuana plants from public and private land during this year’s growing season. Half was grown in California.
Education in 2009
University of California tuition increased by 32% despite students protests.
Crime in 2009
Charles McCall, former McKesson Corporation Chairman, was convicted by a federal jury in San Francisco of inflating the revenues of HBO & Co., a medical software company, before McKesson bought it for $13.9 billion (1999).
Tech Awards.
Technology in 2009
Tech Awards, a Silicon Valley humanitarian program recognizing technological solutions aimed at worldwide challenges, honored five winners for their work in the environment, economic development, education, equality and health.
Business in 2009
Google, in Mountain View, unveiled its Chrome operating system.
Google.
Sports in 2009
Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants, won the Cy Young Award for a second consecutive season.
Environment in 2010
PG&E announced plans to buy homes and farms in Hinkley, a Mohave Desert town, endangered by chromium 6, a cancer-causing chemical in the groundwater. The legal case was dramatized in the film “Erin Brockovich” (2000).
Fiat 500.
Business in 2010
The Los Angeles Auto Show opened. Fiat, now associated with Chrysler, introduced the Fiat 500, with U.S. sales beginning in January.
November 20
California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Ranchos in 1784
Rancho Dominguez was deeded. The Spanish land grant covered 75,000 acres, including today’s entire Los Angeles harbor. This became the site of the first U.S. national aviation meet and later home to California State University Dominguez Hills.
Ranchos in 1784
Rancho de los Nietos was deeded. The Spanish land grant covered 300,000 acres, including today’s Anaheim, Long Beach, Fullerton, Norwalk, Seal Beach and Whittier.
Spanish and Mexican ranchos of Los Angeles County (1919).
Hypolite Bouchard.
War in 1818
Hippolyte de Bouchard, the French-Argentine privateer, and his 200 men prepared to attack Monterey. He attacked Spain’s colonial capital of Alta California as part of the Argentine revolt against Spanish rule.
Overland Journeys in 1846
Patrick Breen, traveling with the Donner Party, began keeping a diary: “Came to this place on the 31st of last month that it snowed. We went on to the pass, the snow so deep we were unable to find the road, when within 3 miles (4.8 km) of the summit, then turned back to this shanty on the Lake… We now have killed most part of our cattle, having to stay here until next spring & live on poor beef without bread or salt. It snowed during the space of eight days with little intermission, after our arrival here.”
Charles Bowles, also known as Black Bart.
Crime in 1880
Charles Bowles, English born gentleman bandit known as Black Bart, left poems at the scene of his crimes. He held up Wells Fargo stage coaches 28 times. The 15th was in Siskiyou County, a mile from the Oregon border.
Protests in 1969
Native Americans and their supporters seized Alcatraz Island in the name of “Indians of All Tribes.” They offered to buy the island for $24 in beads and cloth, demanded an American Indian University, museum and cultural center. The occupation lasted 19 months.
Sports in 1969
Willie McCovey, San Francisco Giants first baseman, won the National League Most Valuable Player award.
Sports in 1990
Rickey Henderson, Oakland A’s outfielder, won the American League Most Valuable Player award.
Sacramento Kings.
Sports in 1990
The Sacramento Kings won their last game on the road for over a year.
Environment in 1996
San Francisco posted signs along the waterfront warning fisherman of health hazards from fish caught in the Bay.
Crime in 2003
Phil Spector, record producer, was charged with the murder of actress Lana Clarkson at his home in Alhambra.
Phil Spector mug shot (2014).
Plastic bag litter.
San Francisco in 2007
Large grocery stores in San Francisco stopped using plastic bags when a new city ordnance banning plastic bags took effect.
San Francisco in 2012
San Francisco Board of Supervisors let people build hundreds of 220-square-foot residential units. Up to 2 people could live in the tiny apartments.
Microapartment.