1. In 1847, the first known sighting of gold in California was discovered by a Mexican prospector named Francisco Lopez. He found several small pieces of gold near the San Francisquito Canyon in present-day Los Angeles County.

2. On January 11, 1861, the state of California ratified the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude.

3. In 1922, the famous Hollywood actor Rod Taylor was born in Sydney, Australia. He starred in many iconic films, including "The Birds" and "The Time Machine," and later settled in California.

4. On January 11, 1972, the television series "Emergency!" premiered on NBC. The show, which focused on the lives of paramedics and firefighters in Los Angeles, ran for seven seasons and was a major success.

5. On January 11, 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency due to a severe freeze that had damaged crops and threatened the state's agricultural industry. The emergency declaration allowed for additional resources and funding to be directed towards relief efforts.