Historical place archive

California in History

Browse historical events and people recorded at California in United States of America. The records below are rendered directly from the World History Database into this page's initial HTML.

26 records20 event labels19 people1846โ€“2020

Historical events in California

1846

July 1846
California Campaign
John Charles Fremont ยท Mexican-American War

Fremont cooperates with American naval commanders during the conquest of California

29 July 1846
Occupation of California
Robert Field Stockton ยท Mexican-American War

Stockton assumes command of American naval operations on the Pacific coast

1848

2 February 1848
Mexican Cession
James Knox Polk ยท Mexican-American War

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo transfers Upper California to the United States

1943

1943
Governor
Earl Warren ยท Government of USA

Appointed Governor of California

1953

1953
Begins Playing Drums
Frank Vincent Zappa ยท Popular Music

Begins learning drums, starting the instrumental training that precedes his later work as a guitarist and composer.

1953
Military Discharge
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood ยท Korean War

Leaves the United States Army and resumes civilian life before entering film work.

1955

1955
Plays with the Ramblers
Frank Vincent Zappa ยท Popular Music

Plays drums in the Ramblers, one of his earliest teenage bands.

1958

1958
Switches Primary Instrument to Guitar
Frank Vincent Zappa ยท Popular Music

Moves increasingly from drums to guitar, which becomes his principal performing instrument.

1962

1962
Election
Richard Milhous Nixon ยท Republican Party

Defeated in the elections to become the Governor of California

1963

1963
Memories of El Monte
Frank Vincent Zappa ยท Popular Music

Co-writes and produces the Penguins single Memories of El Monte with Ray Collins.

1966

1966
Governor
Ronald Wilson Reagan ยท Government of USA

Appointed Governor of California

1968

1968
Malpaso Productions
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood ยท Cinema

Establishes Malpaso Productions to gain greater control over his American film projects.

1970

1 1970
Doobie Brothers Formation
Dave Shogren ยท Popular Music

Becomes a founding member of the Doobie Brothers

1 1970
Doobie Brothers Formation
John Hartman ยท Popular Music

Becomes a founding member of the Doobie Brothers

1 1970
Doobie Brothers Formation
Pat Simmons ยท Popular Music

Becomes a founding member of the Doobie Brothers

1 1970
Doobie Brothers Formation
Tom Johnston ยท Popular Music

Becomes a founding member of the Doobie Brothers

1 October 1970
Intel 1103 DRAM
Joel Karp ยท Technology

Contributes to development and commercialization of the Intel 1103 DRAM chip

1 October 1970
Intel 1103 DRAM
Robert Noyce ยท Technology

Leads Intel as the 1103 memory chip becomes a major product

1971

1971
Play Misty for Me
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood ยท Cinema

Makes his directorial debut with Play Misty for Me and also stars in the thriller.

1978

June 1978
Seasat Radar
Charles Elachi ยท Technology

NASA Seasat demonstrates spaceborne synthetic aperture radar over oceans.

1999

5 January 1999
Governor
Gray Davis ยท Government of USA

Sworn in as Governor of California

2001

2001
California State Park Commission
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood ยท Public Service

Is appointed to the California State Park and Recreation Commission.

2003

2003
Piano Blues
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood ยท Music

Directs Piano Blues, part of Martin Scorsese's documentary series on blues music.

2008

17 March 2008
Tesla Roadster
Elon Musk ยท Technology

Tesla begins regular production of the Roadster electric sports car

4 November 2008
Proposition 8
California Voters ยท Civil Rights

California voters approve Proposition 8, restricting marriage to opposite-sex couples

2020

18 August 2020
California Wildfires
Gavin Newsom ยท Government of California

Declares a state of emergency during major California wildfires.

Provenance

About these place records

These entries are generated from stored World History Database records whose country and place fields match United States of America and California. Names, dates, event labels and descriptions are reviewed and normalised as the database develops. Historical place names may not match modern administrative boundaries.

This database is a research index. For formal scholarly citation, verify individual claims against appropriate primary, archival, academic or specialist sources.