1. In 1847, the Battle of Rio San Gabriel took place near present-day Los Angeles, marking a significant victory for American forces in the Mexican-American War. It paved the way for the capture of Los Angeles just days later and ultimately led to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war and ceded California to the United States.

2. On January 7, 1899, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit the San Jacinto Fault in Southern California, causing widespread damage and injuring dozens of people. It was one of several earthquakes to strike the region that year and served as a reminder of California's vulnerability to seismic activity.

3. In 1927, the first Rose Bowl game was played at the newly constructed Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. The game saw the Alabama Crimson Tide defeat the Stanford Cardinal 7-6, and the Rose Bowl has since become one of the most iconic college football bowl games in the country.

4. On January 7, 1979, California's legislature ratified the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which had been previously ratified by a majority of states but had failed to become part of the U.S. Constitution. The ERA seeks to guarantee equal legal rights for all citizens regardless of sex and remains a subject of debate and activism to this day.

5. In 1996, the first-ever commemorative license plates were issued in California to honor Yosemite National Park. The plates featured the park's iconic Half Dome formation and raised over $2 million for conservation efforts in the years that followed. Today, California offers a wide variety of specialty license plates for drivers to choose from, ranging from university logos to personalized messages.