Vicki Lawrence, born March 26, 1949 in Inglewood, California, is a singer, dancer, and comedian who appeared on the Carol Burnett Show. She also starred in the spin-off series Mama's Family.
In 1973, she released an album which spawned the #1 hit song, The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia. She hosted the talk show Vicki! from 1992-1994.
She won a Primetime Emmy in 1976 for Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Variety or Music for her work on the Carol Burnett Show.
February 20, 1956, police raided Hazel's Inn, a gay bar in Pacifica, California. Officers from San Mateo County Sheriff's department raided the bar for "operating a dance without permit" and serving alcohol to minors. Seventy-seven gay men and ten lesbians were arrested.
As a result of the Lavender Scare, the anti-gay "moral" panic, resulted in police raids around San Francisco and the Bay area, so people moved south and settled on Hazel's Inn, known to be a tolerant establishment.
As the gay bar attracted more and more people, it attracted the attention of Sheriff Earl Whitmore, who was tipped off by people about 'unusual activity'. Just after midnight on February 20, 1956, Whitmore began his raid with military police, California Highway Patrol officers, and Alcoholic Beverage Control agents.
The arrested individuals were charged with 'lewd vagrancy', a broad brush term in the 1950s to target African Americans, poor people, and homosexuals. The ACLU represented the defendants and were able to clear twenty-seven. Two men were found guilty and ordered to pay heavy fines, and were banished from San Mateo County for two years.
Cyndi Munson, born May 24, 1985 in Monterey, California, grew up in Lawton, Oklahoma. She graduated from University of Central Oklahoma with a BA in political science. She first ran for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, but lost to the incumbent. She ran again in 2015 and became the first Asian American woman to serve in the Oklahoma Legislature. She became the minority leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
She announced her gubernatorial bid in April 2025.
Joe Adams, born April 11, 1924 in Los Angeles, California, worked his way up from being a truck driver to becoming general assistant for LA radio personality Al Jarvis. Later, Adams became Jarvis' assistant producer.
Adams became the first African American announcer on NBC's radio network and in 1948 he became a DJ and announcer on KOWL radio in Santa Monica. That same year, became the MC and stage director for the fourth Cavalcade of Jazz concert held in LA, in September. He continued to MC the event for 10 more years.
In June 1951, he began his own TV program on KTTV in LA with a 15-piece orchestra.
In 1954, Adams portrayed a boxer in Carmen Jones, featuring Dorothy Dandridge, for which he won the Golden Globe for New Star - Actor, becoming the first African American actor to win a Golden Globe.
Dreamy, heartthrob Jeremy Renner, born January 7, 1971 in Modesto, California, is probably best known for his portrayal of Hawkeye of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Avengers. He was nominated for a Saturn Award for his performance in Avengers: Endgame. He has been nominated for numerous awards for his work in The Hurt Locker and The Town.
France Silva, born May 8, 1876 in Hayward, California, joined the Marine Corps in September 1899 in San Francisco and was assigned to the USS Newark. In May 1900, Private France Silva was a member of the Legation Guards when the Newark sailed for China to help land allied troops to assist civilians during the Boxer Rebellion.
On June 23, 1900, the Regiment, under the command of Major Littleton Waller entered the Tianjin to protect the civilians and forced the Chinese forces to retreat. Private Silva, along with several other marines and two sailors, earned the Medal of Honor in their defense of the civilian compound at Beijing. He became the first US Marine of Mexican-American and Hispanic heritage to receive the Medal of Honor.
Silva passed away in April 1951 in Red Bluff, California.
Jose Romualdo Pacheco, born in Santa Barbara, California October 31, 1831, became the first Hispanic governor in the United States when he was served as governor of California in February 1875. He is also the only Hispanic to server as Governor of California and the first Latino to represent a state in the US Congress.
After serving as an apprentice on a trading vessel during the Mexican-American War, he entered politics in 1850. With prominent family connections, he sought the position of judge in San Luis Obispo and won at the age of 22. He was elected to the state senate in 1857 and was re-elected twice.
When the Civil War broke out, he was appointed the rank of brigadier general by Governor Leland Stanford to disarm military companies in Los Angeles that weren't loyal to the Union.
Pacheco served as state treasurer of California from 1863-1867, then became Lieutenant Governor of California under Newton Booth. When Booth was elected to the US Senate in 1875, Pacheco served as governor from February to December 1875.
He ran for a seat in the US House of Representatives and defeated the incumbent Peter Wigginton by one vote. Wigginton contested the election and managed to overturn Pacheco's victory in 1878. Pacheco went into business until winning a House seat in September 1879 and was re-elected in 1880.
After leaving Congress and living on a cattle ranch in northern Mexico until he was appointed as US Minister to various countries in Central America in 1890.
Pacheco returned to California in 1893 and died in 1899.
Josh Cassada, born July 18, 1973 in San Diego, California, went into space as pilot of SpaceX Crew-5 to the International Space Station in October 2022. Prior to becoming astronaut, he conducted research at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and became a naval officer. He completed his flight training and flew in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
He was selected as an astronaut in 2013. He spent over 157 days in space and participated in Expedition 68. He returned to Earth in March 2023.
Tentacles, one of the first of many knock-offs of Jaws, was released in US theaters June 15, 1977. It focuses on another deep-sea creature run amok. In the fashion of It Came from Beneath the Sea, a giant octopus rises from the depths to terrorize a California seaside town.
It was an Italian production which starred Shelley Winters, Henry Fonda, and Claude Akins. Although it was a box office success at the time, grossing $3,000,000, but critics were not kind. It received a 0% rating from Rotten Tomatoes.
Susan Ahn Cuddy, born January 16, 1915 in Los Angeles, California, was the first Asian American woman to join the US Navy. Her parents immigrated from Korea to the US in 1902.
She was accepted into the Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service on her second attempt and sent to the US Naval Reserve Midshipmen's School at Smith College in Massachusetts. An astonishing feat considering anti-Asian sentiment and sexism ran high. in the country.
She joined the Navy in 1942 and became an instructor on flight simulators, and later she became the first female aerial gunnery officer, instructing male recruits in air combat tactics, during WWII.
Ahn Cuddy was promoted to lieutenant and went to work for the US Navy Intelligence, the Library of Congress, and the National Security Agency.
After her retirement, she spoke at Navy functions and Korean American community events, and was a breast cancer survivor.
Actress, comedienne, director, and producer, Niecey Nash, born February 23, 1970 in Palmdale, California, recently won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her performance in Monster. It was her fifth nomination. She also won an Image Award from NAACP, Critics Choice Award, and a Gold Derby for her work. She was also nominated for her role in Monster for a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, OFTA Television Award, Women's Image Network Award, International Online Cinema Awards, Black Reel Award, Critics Choice Super Awards, Pena de Prata, Awards Daily Cooler Awards, and Astra Television Awards.
We came to love her when we watched Reno 911! and Clean House, so it is so wonderful to see her win a prestigious award like this.
Elizabeth Olsen, born February 16, 1989 in Los Angeles, California, is noted for her roles as Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the 2014 reboot of the Godzilla franchise. She has twin older sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen who were child stars, but even though no longer acting are still busy with many projects such as fashion design.
In 2021, Elizabeth was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her performance in WandaVision.
Francisco "Frank" Rubio, born December 11, 1975 in Los Angeles, California, went in to space aboard Soyuz MS-22, in September 2022 to the International Space Station. While on board he participated in Expeditions 67-69. His mission was scheduled to last about six months, but damage to the spacecraft extended his mission. He returned to Earth on Soyuz MS-23 in September 2023, spending almost 371 days in space. He is the first American to spend more than a year in space.
On November 20, 1969, eighty-nine Native Americans and their supporters landed on Alcatraz Island and maintained a presence until June 11, 1971. The organizers of the protest, Richard Oakes, LaNada Means, and John Trudell, claimed that under the Treaty of Fort Laramie of 1951 between the US and the Lakota tribe, all retired, abandoned, or federal land no longer in use, was to be returned ot the Indigenous people who once occupied it. Since the penitentiary had been closed since March 1963 and the land had been declared surplus federal property in 1964, the Red Power activists felt the island belonged to the Native Americans.
They began the occupation late on November 20, and despite a Coast Guard blockade, fourteen managed to land on the island. At the height of the occupation, four hundred people lived on the island. They set up a daycare, a health clinic, and a school. Doctors volunteered their services and Native and non-Natives brought necessary supplies to the island to support the occupiers.
Coast Guard blockades made it increasingly more difficult to reach Alcatraz, but the occupation began receiving a lot of support from around the world.
In January 1970, Oakes' stepdaughter feel to her death, which prompted Richard and his wife to leave the island. A hippie and drug scene moved to the island creating problems until non-Indians were prohibited from staying over night. The government cut off electrical power, water, and telephone service to the island. In June 1970, a fire destroyed numerous buildings on the island. After that, the number of occupiers began to dwindle. On June 11, 1971, government officers removed the last fifteen people.
The Occupation of Alcatraz established a precedent for Indian activism and spurred such actions as the Trail of Broken Treaties in 1972, the Wounded Knee incident in 1973, and the Longest Walk in 1968.
Oscar De La Hoya, born February 4, 1973 in East Los Angeles, California, is the first boxer in history to win world titles in six different weight divisions: Super featherweight, Lightweight, Light Welterweight, Welterweight, Light Middleweight, and Middleweight.
Over his career of 45 professional boxing fights, he won 39 times, with only 6 losses.
De La Hoya took home the gold medal in the 1992 Olympic games, and he was named The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year in 1995. In 2008, he was inducted into the US Olympic Hall of Fame.
Robert Garcia, born December 2, 1977 in Lima, Peru, is the first fully Latino and LGBT member of US Congress. He immigrated to the US with his mother at the age of 5. He attended California State University, Long Beach and later got his master's Degree at University of Southern California.
In 2009, he was elected to the Long Beach City Council. In 2012, he was unanimously elected to Vice Mayor of Long Beach, becoming the first Latino Vice Mayor and youngest in Long Beach's history.
Garcia ran for mayor in 2015 and was reelected in April 2018.
He announced his candidacy for California's 42nd congressional district in the US House of Representatives.
Jose Hernandez, born August 7, 1962 in French Camp, California, went into space aboard Discovery (STS-128) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in August 2009. He spent almost 14 days in space. He retired from NASA in January 2011. He is one of about 14 Hispanic astronauts who have flown with NASA.
Anna May Wong, born January 3, 1905 as Wong Liu Tsong in Los Angeles California, is the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood and the first Chinese American actress to gain international recognition. She began acting early and her first role (uncredited) was Dinty in 1920. She starred in The Toll of the Sea, a silent movie and one of the first to be filmed in color.
In the late 1920s, she traveled to Europe, becoming frustrated by the stereotypical roles she reluctantly played. In 1935, she was refused for the leading role in the movie adaption of Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth. She was also refused the role of the Asian blackmailer in W. Somerset Maugham's The Letter, in both the Bette Davis version and the television role in 1956.
She is the first Asian American to appear on US Currency.
She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in February 1960. Wong passed away in February 1961 from a heart attack.
Jolene Blalock, born March 5, 1975 in San Diego, California, is best known for her role as T'Pol in the Star Trek series Enterprise. She began her career as a model, but then turned to acting when she began to appear in commercials.
In 2002, she won two Saturn Awards (Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films) for Best Supporting Actress andCinescape Genre Face of the Future Award for her work on Star Trek: Enterprise.
Natalie Cole, born February 6, 1950 in Los Angeles, California, was the daughter of the amazing Nat King Cole and won 9 Grammy Awards.
She was the first African-American artist to win Best New Artist in 1976 along with her performance of This Will Be. In 1991, she released Unforgettable in which she sings a duet with her famous father. It garnered her 3 more Grammys. She won numerous other awards such as American Music Awards, and NAACP Image Awards for her music and acting.
She passed away December 31, 2015 in Los Angeles.
I've always loved her song Dangerous. Listen to it here:
