Standard Oil of California struck oil at Damman No 7, the first commercial oil well in Saudi Arabia.
Father Pedro Font wrote in his diary about salmon in the Salinas River. He was traveling with De Anza and the first colonists from Mexico to Alta California.
The Spanish king divided Alta California and Baja California, separating Franciscan missions in the north from Dominican missions in the south.
California map published in 1845.
Reverend Thomas Starr King died in San Francisco at age 39. He spoke passionately to keep California in the Union during the Civil War.
California passed the first plant quarantine legislation in the U.S. It was to protect local crops from invasive plants and insects.
The Trans-America Footrace, nicknamed the Bunion Run, started at Legion Ascot Speedway in Los Angeles. Runners raced 3,423.5 miles to Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Whaleback in southern Kings Canyon National Park.
Kings Canyon National Park, called General Grant National Park when it opened on October 1, 1890, had It’s name changed when it grew to 461,901 acres and included the protection of giant sequoias.
Channel Islands National Park opened. It includes five of the eight Channel Islands off the coast from San Pedro to Santa Barbara. It covers 249,354 acres, half of which are under the ocean.
Homebrew Computer Club met for the first time at a garage in Menlo Park. Several important computer entrepreneurs and hackers met there, including the founders of Apple Inc. They imagined the personal computer revolution.
The Landsat 3 launched from Vandenberg AFB. It continued the longest running project to collect satellite images of Earth.
A dance marathon at Puckett’s Cotillion Hall in San Francisco ended. Six couples broke the world record by dancing for 14 hours and 41 minutes.
The National Association of Moving Picture Industry announced they would censor U.S. movies.
The tanker ship Frank H. Buck, loaded with oil, sank off the coast of San Francisco. It was visible during low tide from between Point Vista and the Palace of the Legion of Honor.
Moctesuma Esparza, Chicano student organizer and later a film producer, lead the first East Los Angeles high school walkout protesting unequal conditions in Los Angeles high schools.
East Los Angeles high school walkouts in 1968.
Ed Yielding and Joseph Vida set a transcontinental speed record, flying a SR-71 Blackbird from California to Virginia in 64 minutes, averaging 2,124 mph.
The first Webby Awards ceremony was held in San Francisco. It continues to honor excellence on the Internet across Websites, Mobile, Social, Interactive Advertising and Online Film and Video.
Gasoline prices in California reached an average $1.63 per gallon.
Federal regulators approved the proposed $22 billion merger of Hewlett-Packard Co., headquartered in Palo Alto, and Compaq Computer Corp.
A San Francisco judge ordered University of California to pay over $33.8 million to some 40,000 students, who claimed their fees had been improperly raised.
Annette Yeomans, age 51, was booked at the Vista jail and charged with grand theft and embezzlement. The former bookkeeper for Quality Woodworks, Inc. in San Marcos reportedly embezzled $9.9 million, forcing layoffs. Yeomans bought 400 pairs of shoes that she kept in a closet decorated with a crystal chandelier and a plasma television.
A lion attacked and killed Dianna Hanson, age 24, a sanctuary worker at Project Survival’s Cat Haven in Dunlap.
Dianna Hanson at Cat Haven.
John Frémont, explorer, reached Sutter’s Fort at the end of his second overland expedition. Two years later, he was involved with the Bear Flag Revolt to free California from Mexico (1846).
A blizzard struck the Sierra for three days, trapping the rescuers and Donner Party survivors. They huddled around a fire and struggled to keep it burning for two days. After the storm, most of the survivors were too weak to move. James Reed and his companions took three children and left what became called “Starved Camp,” where three other people died and were cannibalized.
Le National, the first French newspaper in California, debuted and continued until 1870.
Alameda incorporated on a 2,200 acre peninsula adjacent to Oakland.
San Quentin prison received a gas chamber to replace its gallows for executions.
The Doors, from Los Angeles, made their second trip to San Francisco. They played at the Matrix and Avalon clubs.
An 18-year-old was stabbed to death at Disneyland, the first homicide at the park.
Timothy Scot, a San Quentin prison officer, shot and killed Mark Adams, an inmate. A federal jury awarded the Adams family $2.3 million based on wrongful death (1998).
Paul Winfield, actor known for versatility in stage, film and television roles, died in Los Angeles at age 62. He was best known for playing a Louisiana sharecropper during the Great Depression in “Sounder” (1972).
David Gale, mathematician, died in Berkeley at age 87. He was affiliated with the mathematics, economics, and industrial engineering and operations research departments at U.C. Berkeley.
San Francisco Bay Area police completed a two-day sweep, arresting at least 42 people, all alleged member of the so-called “Taliban” gang.
Apple, Inc., headquartered in Cupertino, unveiled a third-generation iPad. The most basic model, with wireless connectivity only, went on sale in the U.S. at $499, the same price as the previous models.
Elizabeth A. Burns, of Meadow Lake, patented an Improvement to roasting ores.
A boxing match between Joe Lewis and Red Barry ended when Barry fell to the mat at San Francisco’s Dreamland before some 8,000 fans. Lewis won around $3,650 – Barry got about $1,200.
Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) was transported 38 miles overland from Palmdale to Dryden Flight Research Facility at Edwards Air Force Base.
Cesar Chavez led some 5,000 striking farm workers on a march through the streets of Salinas.
FBI agents captured Claude Dallas, Jr. The self-styled mountain man killed two game wardens in Idaho. He escaped from prison and eluded capture for nearly a year before being caught in southern California.
Loomis Armored Inc. truck money spilled in San Francisco (1988).
At least three people made off with more than $500,000 after money spilled from a Loomis Armored truck in San Francisco. Louis Lopez of Daly City picked up two bundles containing $40,100 and returned them to the Loomis offices.
Intel, in Santa Clara, settled an antitrust suit charge of abusing monopoly power in the computer chip industry.
Fifty-five Oscar statues were stolen from a loading dock in Los Angeles. They were found in a dumpster. Police arrested two men who worked for the trucking company.
Robert Pastorelli, actor, died in Hollywood Hills at age 49. His last role was with John Travolta in “Be Cool,” released in 2005.
Jerry Flamm, newspaper reporter, died at Stanford at age 93. His books included Good Life in Hard Times (1977), a look at the Bay Area during the Great Depression, and Hometown San Francisco (1994).
Millions of sardines floated dead in the King Harbor area of Redondo Beach. Experts said a storm chased them toward shore where they died due to a lack of oxygen. They also tested positive for domoic acid, a neurotoxin found in the stomach of fish that fed on plankton during toxic algae blooms.
Donald Atkinson, a retired El Dorado County sheriff’s deputy, was arrested for embezzling over $300,000 from his union (2005-2011). He had been president of the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Association. Atkinson was sentenced to 5 years in prison.
Francisco Lopez found gold at Placerita Canyon, north of the Pueblo de Los Angeles. He woke from a nap under an oak tree then crossed a creek to a grove of trees. He stuck his knife into the ground to dig wild onions and clinging to the onions were chunks of gold.
John Frémont lowered the U.S. flag over Gavilan Peak and retreated to Sutter’s Fort after angering Mexican officials who suspected him of wanting to free California from Mexican rule.
Isaac Humphrey introduced the first machine to the Gold Rush. But his rocker or cradle was too crude to catch the fine gold particles called gold dust.
The Red Bluff Sentinel debuted and continued publishing to 1882.
Barbie, made by Mattel in El Segundo, debuted at the American International Toy Fair in New York. Today she is one of the most famous dolls in history.
Five Lakota Sioux men occupied Alcatraz Island in a peaceful political protest. They demanded the island become a Native American cultural center and university.
look at the occupation of Alcatraz Island by the Indians of All Tribes (1969-1971).
George Burns, legendary comedian, died in Beverly Hills weeks after turning 100. His career spanned vaudeville, film, radio and television.
Government authorities ordered Michael Jackson to shut down his Neverland Ranch, in Santa Barbara County, and fined the pop star $169,000 for failing to pay his employees or maintain proper insurance.
Google, in Mountain View, announced purchase of Upstartle LLC, whose Writely.com service allowed users to create, edit and share documents online.
Kristy Gough, age 30, and Mat Peterson, age 29, racing cyclists, were killed during a training ride in Cupertino when a deputy sheriff veered into the opposite lane of traffic. Officer James Council, age 27, said he fell asleep at the wheel.
San Francisco officials shut down drug testing at the police crime lab. Deborah Madden, age 60, a technician, was accused of stealing cocaine she was to analyze.
This entry was posted in This Week from California History on March 2, 2018 by Jim Silverman.