Here are five interesting facts about May 5 in California history:

1. In 1862, the California State Legislature authorized the creation of the State Normal School in Los Angeles (now known as California State University, Los Angeles), becoming the first institution of higher education in Southern California.

2. In 1925, the California State Highway Commission approved the construction of the Ridge Route, an important highway that connected Los Angeles to the Central Valley.

3. In 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space as he piloted the Mercury-Redstone 3 spacecraft on a suborbital flight. The launch took place from Cape Canaveral, Florida, but the mission was controlled from the NASA tracking station in Goldstone, California.

4. In 1972, the California Special education Act was signed into law by Governor Ronald Reagan, mandating that all children with disabilities receive a free and appropriate education.

5. In 2018, the California Energy Commission passed a requirement mandating that all new homes built after January 1, 2020, have solar panels installed, making California the first state in the U.S. to have such a mandate.