1. On September 3, 1849, San Francisco's first newspaper, The Californian, was published. It was the first daily newspaper to be published in California.

2. The first Labor Day parade in California took place on September 3, 1883, in San Francisco. The parade was organized by the Knights of Labor and was held in honor of the working class.

3. On September 3, 1929, the Hoover Dam project began in Black Canyon on the Colorado River. The dam was completed in 1935 and remains one of California's most famous engineering feats.

4. In 1971, on September 3, the California State University system was officially established. The system now has 23 campuses and serves over 480,000 students.

5. On September 3, 2004, the California state legislature passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage. The bill was vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, but the legality of same-sex marriage was eventually established in California in 2008.