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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 65 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 California
Sacramento. Well, there had to be ONE really easy one! (Apart from Q 1, that is!) Sacramento grew up about two miles from the Fort, which Sutter always called New Helvetia anyway!
1821. As part of Mexico, California became independent from Spain. There were only about 14,000 European and Mexican settlers (mostly in the south), and 150,000 Native Americans in California then.
Yerba Buena. Ashbury - think flower power? California City - is there such a place? Los Angeles - do your Geography exam again, please.
| Going back in time (but not as far as the birthplace of man!), what was the origin of the first discoverers of California? | California - History
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Asian. Of course it was the Asians! That's where the Native Americans came from. Yes, they DID discover it. Not only Europeans discovered things.
one month. On June 10th, 1846, the California Republic was declared by American settlers. John Charles Fremont 'happened' to be on hand with a party from the US Army. Then war was declared between the USA and Mexico on July 9th, and the Republic ended as they joined with the USA. The flag with the grizzly bear has lasted so much longer than the republic! Not very common, that.
Queen Elizabeth I. Didn't get anywhere, though.
Russians. The Russians came further south than Alaska. (Russian claims to sovereignty were, however, rejected by Spain, Britain and the US).
gold. John (Johann) Sutter was Swiss.
| How many people appeared as candidates on the 2003 ballot for governor of California if Gray Davis was recalled? | California Governors
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135. Of course, actor Arnold Schwartzenegger won the election, but a host of celebrities also ran, including comedian Gallagher, pornographer Larry Flynt and child star Gary Coleman. Last place went to filmmaker Todd Richard Lewis, known as the "Bum Hunter" for his films involving fights between homeless people.
Ronald Reagan. While others (Hiram Johnson, Earl Warren, Jerry Brown) have had presidential aspirations, Reagan is the only one ever elected.
| In how many California gubernatorial elections (through the 2010 election) was a member of the Brown family the Democratic nominee? | California Governors
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7. Pat Brown received the nomination in 1958, 1962 and 1966 (he lost the 1966 race). Pat's son Jerry Brown was the successful nominee in 1974, 1978 and 2010, and Pat's daughter (Jerry's sister) Kathleen was the unsuccessful nominee in 1994.
Pat Brown. Governor Pat Brown defeated Richard Nixon in the 1962 Governor's race and was defeated by Ronald Reagan in the 1966 race.
| Of the 18 people who served as governor of California in the twentieth century, how many were Democrats? | California Governors
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4. Culbert Olson (1939-43), Pat Brown (1959-67), Jerry Brown (1975-83), and Gray Davis (1999-2003).
| As of the 2008 election, how many California Governors have appeared on a national ticket for president or vice-president? | California Governors
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3. Hiram Johnson was the vice-presidential candidate for Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Party in 1912, Earl Warren was the Republican nominee for vice-president with Thomas Dewey in 1948 and, of course, Ronald Reagan was the Republican nominee for president in 1980 and 1984.
| As Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Earl Warren issued the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision outlawing racial segregation in public schools. What action did he take as governor of California? | California Governors
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Supported the detention of Japanese-Americans during World War II. As state attorney general and subsequently, as governor, Earl Warren supported and assisted in the relocation of innocent, Japanese-Americans to detention camps. Some consider the Brown decision to be Warren's apology for his actions during the War.
Peter Burnett. Burnett, a Democrat, was the Governor of California territory at the time of statehood (1850); he stayed in office until 1851. Republican Leland Stanford served from 1862-63, while Hearst (father of journalist William Randolph) and Fremont were U.S. senators, not governors.
Cahuenga Capitulation . On February 2, 1848 the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed and the area officially passed into U.S. hands.
| The ill-fated Donner party is one of the more depressingly morbid stories of California's early history. The only good part about it was that there were some survivors. How many were eventually rescued and made it to California? | Early California: The Natives and the Spaniards
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48. About half the party, 39, died and many of the others were forced to turn to cannibalism to survive.
Jedediah Smith. Although he was only in California briefly twice, his impact was immense in the future development of an overland migration route.
First American woman to reside in California. She met Thomas Larkin, a successful hide and tallow tradesman, aboard ship and married him shortly after arriving in Monterey.
Fort Ross. After an agreement was made between Russia and the Hudson Bay Trading Company for supplies to be delivered from Oregon, the fort was sold to John Sutter in 1841.
| Richard Henry Dana Jr. wrote a book about his experiences aboard the ship Pilgrim and its voyages to California. What is the name of this book which is considered California's first great literary masterpiece? | Early California: The Natives and the Spaniards
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Two Years Before the Mast. In the book Dana gave a vivid account of the hide and tallow trade and commented on the apparent over dependence of Californians on neophyte labor and unable to survive on their own, opinions that would influence many of the future American immigrants.
hides and tallow. The missions supported two-thirds of the population through production and trade done by neophyte natives.
1821. Despite this significant political change, California remained a neglected and isolated territory. This is what ultimately allowed American forces to wrest California from Mexico.
| Although the Spanish were the first to land and establish settlements in California there was another imperial power which also had a possible claim to at least some of California. Sir Francis Drake landed and christened an area Nova Albion. When he departed he supposedly left a plate behind with an inscription commemorating this discovery. In which place in modern California did he supposedly land? | Early California: The Natives and the Spaniards
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San Fransisco. The plate was thought to have surfaced in Marin County in 1937 and was put on display at the University of California's Bancroft Library.
In the 1970s independent analysis concluded it was likely a modern forgery but it is still received as one of the state's most cherished historical artifacts. Although no claim was made on California this d served as a major basis to the later British claim to Oregon.
Yuma. The "Yuma Massacre" ended the overland trade route and forced Spain to rely solely on the more expensive and less reliable sea route to resupply the colony.
Miguel. His full name was Miguel Jose Serra and he changed his name to honor the brother of St. Francis, the founder of his order.
Fire pits. The underbrush that they used as cover was so thick that not even light penetrated it, and when the Spanish attempted to advance through it they often became entangled and were easy prey for the arrows of Estanisalo's men.
Rebellion. This rebellion was brought on by a number of factors including the rumored demise of the mission system, shaky Spanish military power in colonial California and widespread abuse of the natives.
Yes. Nixon was born on January 9, 1913 in Yorba Linda, California. He was the thirty-seventh president of the United States, serving from 1969-1974. He resigned from office in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal. He died on April 22, 1994 in New York. Always controversial, Nixon may be best remembered for Watergate. But he was the first United States president to visit Communist China, which had been a mystery country to most of the world for decades. He's generally thought of as a president who was an expert in foreign policy. He was married to the consummate loyal political wife, Patricia Ryan, for over 50 years. She died ten months before him.
| The hottest place in the Western Hemisphere is Death Valley, California. Within the Death Valley National Park lies an amazing sight, a beautiful, two-story Spanish villa, a major tourist attraction in the area. By what name is it best known? | A Bit of California History
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Scotty's Castle. Death Valley is home to world-famous Scotty's Castle, an amazing blend of ingenuity and beauty. The villa sits in a canyon in the northern area of the park. It's known as Scotty's Castle in honor of the friendship between the owner and builder of the place, Albert Johnson, and his friend Walter Scott, who had a vision of a castle in the desert. Construction began on the home in 1922, which ended up costing around 2 million dollars. Today the National Park Service owns and operates Scotty's Castle, with tours open to visitors year-round.
Death Valley is the site of the lowest elevation in North America. Due to its low elevation, temperatures range from up to 130°F during the summertime, to below freezing during the winter nights. Most of the roads there were built during the '30s. They are generally two-lane roads, with many curves. They should be driven with extreme caution, for the most dangerous thing in Death Valley isn't the high temperatures, it's the car crashes, from people driving too fast.
The Timbisha tribe of Native Americans have lived in Death Valley for over 1000 years, and some Timbisha still live there. There are a couple of small resorts in the area. If you like the desert, Death Valley is the place for you. The other three names are made-up.
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