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California Perspectives on American History
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Early California: pre-1769–1840s: Timeline of Events

  United States & World California
1521
  • Hernando Cortez conquers the Aztec empire
 
1542  
  • Juan Cabrillo sails up California coast
1579  
  • Francis Drake lands somewhere north of San Francisco Bay
1588
  • Spanish Armada attack England and are defeated
 
1607
  • Jamestown settlement established in Virginia
 
1769  
  • San Diego Mission founded
1776
  • Declaration of Independence
  • Presidio of San Francisco established
1781  
  • Los Angeles founded
1789
  • French Revolution begins
 
1803
  • Louisiana Purchase
 
1810
  • Mexican War for Independence begins
 
1812  
  • Fort Ross established
1815
  • Sierre Leone established by the British
 
1823  
  • Solano Mission founded
1826  
  • Jedediah Smith arrives overland from U.S.
1839
  • Louis Daguerre develops the first daguerreotype photo
 
1846  
  • Bear Flag Revolt
1847  
  • Treaty of Cahuenga
1848
  • Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
 

Browse By Timeline

  • Early California: pre-1769–1840s
  • Gold Rush: 1848–1860
  • Early Statehood: 1850 – 1880s
  • Progressive Era: 1890–1920s
  • Depression Era: 1930s
  • World War II Homefront Era: 1940s
  • Homogenization, Protests & Outright Rebellion: 1950s
  • Unforgettable Change: 1960s
  • Cultural Realignment & Economic Recession: 1970s
  • The Reagan Years: 1980s
  • 1990s to Present

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California.  Many Voices.  Many Stories.  Oakland Museum of California
Picture This is a project of the Oakland Museum of California