Happy Birthday, California!

Today is the anniversary of California being admitted to our United States of America. California is the most populous sate in the Union. It's no surprise that there are 15 major sports teams in the state. Nor is a surprise that literally HUNDREDS of celebrities were born in California. For years, all fictitious TV characters were from California, too, so I won't even mention THEM! ;-)

Date of Admittance:

September 9, 1850
Parentage: The word "California" comes from a Spanish fictional island paradise. The territory was Spanish, Mexican, and American after stealing acquiring it from the Native Americans.

Place in the Family

Number 31
The Gold Rush helped rush this Western 
state between the normal mid-western 
expansion states of Wisconsin (May 1848) 
and Minnesota (May 1858)

Motto

"Eureka"
attributed to Archimedes, 
in Greek it means "I've found it!" 
Said to refer to finding gold in them thar hills

Nick-Name

The Golden State
Again, because of the Gold Rush

On the License Plate

Just the state name, in cursive
nice touch, that

State Flag

A brown bear on a field of white with the words
"California Republic" 
As flags go, this is pretty bad.
A bear, really? 

First City You Probably Think of

When You Think "California"

Los Angeles

Actual State Capital:  
Sacramento

State Size (Area) is 3rd of 50.

Population is closer to 1st of 50.

(per 2000 Census figures)

California Sports:

NFL

OAKLAND RAIDERS 

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ers

MLB

LOS ANGELES ANGELS (ANAHEIM) 

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

OAKLAND ATHLETICS "A's"

SAN DIEGO PADRES

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

NBA

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
 


LOS ANGELES LAKERS

 

SACRAMENTO KINGS 

(SAN FRANCISCO)
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

NHL

ANAHEIM DUCKS

LOS ANGELES KINGS

SAN JOSE SHARKS

Anybody From California
Ever Grow Up To Be President?

Yes (unfortunately?)
which segues into....

Good vs Evil

Richard Nixon
Worst Ever

Steve Jobs
Visionary

TV Celebrities From California

Bill Bixby
actor, "My Favorite Martian"etc

George Takei
actor, "Star Trek"
 

Candice Bergen

actress, "Murphy Brown"

David Carradine
actor, "Kung Fu"
Robert Carradine
actor, "Lizzie McGuire"

Jennifer Aniston
comedienne, "Friends"

Lisa Kudrow
comedienne, "Friends"

Tyra Banks
model, host "America's Top Model"

Andy Samberg
comedian, "SNL"

Zac Efron

actor, "High School Musicals"

Musical Californians:

The Beach Boys

"California Girls" etc

Merle Haggard

"Mama Tried" etc

Mickey Dolenz 

"I'm A Believer" etc

 

Sammy Hagar  

"I Can't Drive 55" etc

 

Randy Newman 

"I Love LA" etc

 

Paula Abdul  

"Opposites Attract" etc

Blink 182 

"All The Small Things" etc

 

Green Day  

"American Idiot" etc

Katy Perry 

"Fireworks" etc

Sporty Californians

Joe DiMaggio

baseball Hall of Fame player

Ted Williams

baseball Hall of Fame player
 


Tom Seaver

baseball Hall of Fame player

Daryl Strawberry

baseball Hall of Fame player

Barry Bonds

infamous baseball player

Mark McGwire

infamous baseball player

 


Cathy Rigby

Olympic gymnast

Billie Jean King

professional tennis player

Tracy Austin

professional tennis player 

OJ Simpson

infamous football player
 

Greg Louganis

Olympic diver
 


 Kristi Yamaguchi

Olympic ice-skater
 

Jeff Gordon

NASCAR racer

Tiger Woods

professional golfer
 

Tom Brady

professional football player




Film Stars From California 

Marilyn Monroe

Hollywood Icon 

Mel Blanc

actor, voice actor, "Looney Tunes"

Bruce Lee

actor, "Enter the Dragon"

George Lucas

director, "American Graffiti"

Mark Hamill & Carrie Fisher

actors, "Star Wars" films

Lloyd Bridges

Jeff Bridges & Beau Bridges 

actors

Michelle Pfeiffer

actress, "Hairspray"

 

Ice Cube 
actor, singer, producer, director

 

Leonardo DiCaprio
actor, "Blood Diamonds" 
 


Jack Black
actor, "School of Rock"
 

California Literary Figures

Jack London

The Call of The Wild etc

Robert Frost
"Stopping By The Woods...." etc

 

Rube Goldberg

Inventions

John Steinbeck

East of Eden etc

Shirley Jackson

"The Lottery" etc

Amy Tan

"The Joy Luck Club" etc

Academy Award Winning Californians

Gregory Peck
 actor, "To Kill A Mockingbird"



Liza Minnelli
actress, "Cabaret"



Gene Hackman
2-time Award Winning Actor
 


Tatum O'Neal
supporting actress, "Paper Moon" 
 


Keith Carradine
song, "Nashville"




Dustin Hoffman 
2-time Award Winning Actor
 


Timothy Hutton
supporting actor, "Ordinary People"

Robert Redford
director, "Ordinary People"

 


Jodie Foster
2-time Award Winning Actress



Cher
actress, "Moonstruck"



 Kevin Costner
director, "Dances With Wolves"
 


Tom Hanks
2-time Award Winning Actor



Nicholas Cage 
actor, "Leaving Las Vegas"




Clint Eastwood
 2-time Award Winning Director




Angelina Jolie

supporting actress, "Girl, Interrupted"



Gwyneth Paltrow
actress, "Shakespeare In Love"




Helen Hunt
 actress, "As Good As It Gets"



Sean Penn 
 2-time Award Winning Actor

Other Famous Californians

 George S. Patton 

world-famous General

Julia Child

world-famous chef

Anthony Kennedy

Associate Justice, 

US Supreme Court (1988~)
 

Stephen Breyer 

Associate Justice, 

US Supreme Court (1994~) 
 

Sally Ride

astronaut
 

  
Tony Robbins 

self-help guru

A Song For You....

"Hotel California"

Written by Don Felder, Don Henley, & Glenn Frey
Sung by The Eagles 
Lots of songs about California 
or cities in California, 
but this seemed appropriate somehow...
with Spanish sub-titles!!! :-)