The vastly populated state of America, California, has recorded its name as the largest sub-national economy in the global market. According to the general information about California, the multitude of battles and hardships faced by California has helped define the course of the history of the 31st State of the American Union. But, now it may come to your mind, what California is famous for? How did California get its name? Read the below article to get a brief knowledge of the history of California timeline and a few unknown facts and information about California.
General Information About California
If we look into the history of California timeline, we would be surprised to see that before the colonization of California by foreigners, the state was generally inhabited by Native American tribes who lived together peacefully! The Chumash, Mohave, Yuma, etc. were different tribal communities of California prior to the colonization era, who shared vast differences in their languages and cultures. They didn’t know anything except hunting and fishing to sustain themselves. So, how was modern-day California born? Who discovered California? Read more.
Where Is California Located?
As the Western United States with a fascinating history of its own, California houses approximately 39.2 million residents within a total area of about 163,696 square miles. The state of California is bordered by Oregon in the North, Arizona and Nevada in the eastern part of the state and the Mexican state of Baja California in the 31st state of the Union to the south. Sacramento is the capital city of California which is famous for its high-quality lifestyle.
Who Discovered California?
California was discovered in the year 1579 when Captain Francis Drake of England mapped the region and ultimately the English people claimed the ownership of the state. But, much before the exploration of Drake, Spanish navigator Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo discovered the place of California in 1542. This led to frequent battles between England and Spain! In the end, California was included in the Union of United States in the year 1850.
How Did California Get Its Name?
Before we jump in to take a brief look at the history of California timeline, let us learn the stories behind how California got its name. While multiple theories have been proposed by various historians, the widely accepted theory bears a connection to that of the 16th-century novel, Las Sergas de Esplandián.
The novel by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo belongs to the same period as the Spanish exploration of California. The novel describes an Island named California which was ruled by Queen Califia. The myth behind the naming of California lies in the fact that when the Spanish discovered the island of California, they believed the land to be similar to that of the fictional island of the novel!
Though the name California initially only belonged to the land of the Baja California Peninsula, the modern world knows the entire region as California, starting from the peninsula to the landscape situated north of the peninsula.
What California Is Famous For?
Do you know what California is famous for? Similar to other regions of the world, California is also famous for a wide variety of things ranging from entertainment to business. California is famous for its discovery of gold in the year 1848.
Besides, California is also famous for several other attractions such as Disneyland, Hollywood, the Death Valley desert, etc.
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History Of California Timeline
The history of California timeline begins with the period of colonization by the Spanish and the English people. Prior to colonization, the land was inhabited by different groups of Native American tribes namely Pomo, Maidu, etc. In the year 1542, Rodriguez Cabrillo, captain of a Spanish ship, stepped into the Baja California peninsula and several settlements were constructed under his supervision. Following the footsteps of Rodriguez, an English explorer Sir Francis Drake mapped the region and claimed the land of California for themselves. But no advancements were recorded till the next 200 years. Soon after, in the year 1769, the Spanish began to construct forts and missions in the hope of converting the native tribes into Catholics.
Fast forward to the year 1821, California came under the rule of Mexico, soon after the latter gained its independence from Spain. Till then, no feeling of patriotism for one’s own land existed. But, the fate of California changed soon after, in 1846 when settlers under the leadership of John Fremont rebelled against Mexican rule and demanded an independent country, the Bear Flag Republic. But, California or the Bear Flag Republic as it was known then, could not enjoy independence for long.
In the same year, Mexico and the United States entered into war with each other. In the end, the United States won the battle and finally, California was made a part of the Union Territory of the US. In the year 1850, the state of California was included in the Union Territory of America as the 31st state.
Facts And Information About California
- The state of California has the most number of national parks than any other state. The total number of national parks in California count to nine.
- One of the unknown facts and information about California is that the state was once an independent country, in the year 1848. But, the status of an independent country soon crashed into thin air when the American-Mexican war began and ultimately, California was included as the 31st state of the US.
- The first motion picture theatre was situated in Los Angeles, California. The theatre was opened in the year 1902 on 2nd April.
- Did you know that the Death Valley desert in California is the driest region in America? Studies show that the average rainfall in this region is less than 5cm which makes Death Valley the driest place in North America.
- California is the only state in America which has hosted both the Summer and the Winter Olympics! While Squaw Valley hosted the Winter Olympics in 1960, Los Angeles hosted the Summer Olympics in 1984.
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Conclusion
Throughout its vast history of colonization and battles, California has managed to create an identity of its own. Today, the vastly populated state counts itself as the largest sub-national economy in the world. We hope that this article on the history of California timeline will help our readers to expand their horizon of knowledge about the 31st state of America.