1. The first known permanent European settlement in California was established on May 25, 1770, when Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolá founded the Presidio of San Diego in what is now downtown San Diego. The Presidio was built to protect the nearby mission, which would later become known as the Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá.

2. Californian author and journalist John Steinbeck was born on May 25, 1902, in Salinas, California. Steinbeck is best known for his novels "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Of Mice and Men," both of which were set in California and depict the struggles of the state's migrant workers during the Great Depression.

3. On May 25, 1935, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco was officially opened to the public. At the time, the bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world and quickly became an iconic symbol of California and San Francisco.

4. On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy gave a speech to Congress calling for a goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade. The speech marked the start of the Apollo program, which eventually led to the first moon landing on July 20, 1969.

5. In 1978, the first National Tap Dance Day was celebrated on May 25 in honor of legendary tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, who was born on this day in 1878. The day encourages people to celebrate and appreciate the art of tap dancing, which has a long and rich history in California's entertainment industry.