THE DAILY MEAL ® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF TRIBUNE PUBLISHING. Neither are they normal. Fresno, California is the Raisin Capital of the World. In 1984 Chico was also declared a “nuclear-free zone,” meaning that its inhabitants are not allowed to produce, test, maintain, or store nuclear weapons. Wondering what the name of the world’s largest tree is? This was a significant event, leading to tensions between California's Anglo and Hispanic populations that continue today. California is huge! U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management, 35 places in LA where you’re most likely to spot a celebrity, 15 Weird Things You Never Knew About California, The 21 Least Visited Countries in the World. This West Coast state has some pretty weird history dating back to well before it became a state in 1850. The Story of How a Séance Led to One of Los Angeles’ Most Beautiful Buildings. Welcome to the chronicles of history that your social studies class never covered in high school. California was one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in pre-Columbian North America. The Fortune Cookie Was Invented in San Francisco. Plus, parts of this state are so beautiful they’ve inspired songs. It is illegal for autonomous vehicles to drive over 60 miles per hour. Here are 8 weird SoCal habits or behaviors that we … John Sutter is the name most people associate with the discovery of gold in present-day Coloma, California, in 1848, but it was his business partner, James W. … Although there are several stories as to when … Death Valley in southern California is the lowest point in the United States at 282 feet below sea … This Spanish phrase translates to “the River of Our Lady Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula.” The name was eventually shortened to “Los Angeles,” but the original main street can still be visited, with many of its original buildings and cobble stone walkways, downtown on Olvera Street — formerly Calle Olvera. If you’re looking to spot stars, these are the 35 places in LA where you’re most likely to spot a celebrity. ephemera and books on the stranger aspects of California’s past. Although you don't have to see these weird California attractions on a road trip, it's preferable—the only thing more bizarre than some of these places is the Golden State's lack of public transport outside major cities! California is notorious for its many droughts. In this section you'll find some amazing, and in a few cases, hard to believe California Legends. It started picking up its prestige when Golden Age Hollywood stars Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford bought land there to build their 56-acre estate. Well you can find them all right here in the great state of California! "Old Hutch" Hutchinson identified five events as the most seminal in Chico history. For decades, its alternative, freewheeling atmosphere has attracted weird cults like the Manson Family and Heaven’s Gate. It is illegal for women to drive vehicles while wearing a housecoat. Sacramento wasn’t California’s original state capital. Well, the state motto of California “Eureka” refers to the discovery of gold, and it means ‘I … For one, you can leave the LA coroner’s office with goodies. Although California is known for awesome things like Hollywood and Silicon Valley, it has its dark side, too. The city of Chico was founded in 1860 by General John Bidwell, a member of one of the first wagon trains to reach California in 1841. It’s one of the most … We have some bizarro museums, unusual places to watch outdoor flicks and a bunch of other surprises that will make you fall in love with a completely unexpected side of SoCal you’ve never seen before. In the scariest month of the year, sometimes we don't want the obviously terrifying. This tree and many other giant … Enjoy our display! California produces over 17 million gallons of wine each year. The Coachella Valley is known as the Date Capital of the world. This giant sequoia, known as “General Sherman,” is between 1,800 and 2,700 years old and measures more than 102 feet in circumference. Weird California | Ancient history, Ancient mysteries, Nazca lines Mar 3, 2016 - Not too far from the Colorado River, on the low desert just west of Highway 95, lies one of the most spectacular ancient creations in California––a group of immense drawings that, like Peru’s famous Nazca lines, can only be seen properly from the air. 18. Nowadays you won’t find any celebrities hanging out in Castroville. They sold 15-cent hamburgers. 2. Weird U.S. Promote Your Page Too A Utopia Spelled Z, Z, Y, Z, X With the addition of a few numbers and Greek letters, the name “Zzyzx” (pronounced zeye-zix) might be a complicated equation to orbit rockets around Mars, but the site has a colorful history that stretches back almost two centuries. Sadly, once the Gold Rush began, the subspecies Ursus arctos californicus was hunted to extinction within a century. Legends of California are in my opinion the best stories on this entire site. The first ever McDonald’s was opened in San Bernardino, California, by Dick and Mac McDonald in 1948. While you won’t learn any Hollywood secrets or salacious celebrity gossip reading this, you will learn some pretty interesting facts about the state of California. If you live in Southern California, it’s quite possible you have a few quirks that feel entirely normal to you but seem quite odd to the rest of the country. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. That would just be gross. He was captured and lived in captivity until his death in San Francisco 22 years later. The grizzly bear on California's current state flag is a tribute to Monarch, a 1,200-lb. Strange Laws in All of California. The Name and the Geography California's history is so romantic and filled with legend that it is fitting that the region was named for a fictional island paradise described in the 16th century Spanish romance Las Serges de Esplandian, which was popular when Spain’s explorers first came to this part of North America's Pacific Coast. Weird California: Our List of the Weirdest Place in The Golden State These places are not necessarily scary. If California was a separate nation, it would have the 8th largest economy in the world. Although there are several stories as to when and where in the state the fortune cookie was invented, the prevailing one is that Makoto Hagiwara of Golden Gate Park’s Japanese Tea Garden is the first person to ever serve them. Cottonwood Charcoal Kilns were vital to the silver mining operation. It’s called “Californium,” and it’s a radioactive rare earth metal and a biological hazard. It is the only theme park designed and built under the management of Walt Disney. It’s called Skeletons in the Closet, and in it you can buy clothing, housewares, office supplies, accessories, fake tattoos, and even a 4-D exploded skull. After contact with Spanish explorers, most of the Native Americans died out from European diseases. The original Disneyland theme park was built in Anaheim, California in 1955. I mean come on where else can you discover stories about missing treasure, ghost camels, cursed totem poles, and ships lost in the desert? The city became incorporated January 8, 1872.. Native Chicagoan Ray Kroc acquired the rights to the company in 1961 for $2.7 million and made the brand what it is today. Neat! With the horrors of the general election less than a few weeks away, some of us Californians want the weird and wonderful of our States. Will its natural beauty inspire you? California - California - History: When Spanish navigator Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo became the first European to sight the region that is present-day California in 1542, there were about 130,000 Native Americans inhabiting the area. California avocados are the best, and the city of Fallbrook, which is known for its avocado groves, claims the title of “Avocado Capital of the World.” Fallbrook even hosts an annual avocado festival that draws crowds from all over the planet. Check out these 15 weird things you never knew about California. Responding to pressure from the farm owners, California state and local governments began a deportation program, sending Mexicans, and even some Mexican-Americans, back to Mexico in buses and boxcars. – Source. 90210, one of the richest zip codes in the world, began as a Spanish lima bean ranch. Additionally some of the lesser known and more bizarre history of California is featured here as well ranging from the U.S. attempts at having a camel corps in the 1800s to Japanese attacks on California during World War II and even to the amazing journey of Elmer McCurdy's corpse! Read on to learn weird facts about animals, nature, travel, and more! The California state flag features a majestic looking California grizzly named “Monarch.” Monarch the drawing was based on a real bear of the same name who was found in the Ventura Mountains in 1889. Contact us: Web-form: Ask us a Question Email: cslcal@library.ca.gov. Castroville is known as the “Artichoke Center of the World,” and in 1948, actress and icon Marilyn Monroe was crowned their first ever Artichoke Queen at the Castroville Artichoke Festival. Monarch, who when alive weighed more than 1,200 pounds, is now a taxidermy item at the California Academy of Sciences in the city where he died. We searched through California’s extensive history to find weird facts and historic events that took place in this state that might not blow your mind — but they’ll at least give you some other information about California besides the fact that it has legal marijuana, celebrities, and a Golden Gate Bridge. From Sacramento to San Diego, there are tons of weird things you never knew about California. wild California … Literally, the entire thing. 1. These weird facts are so bizarre they might just blow your mind. He lost. California grows 99.5% of all dates grown in the United States, and Arizona produces the rest. According to History.com, California is home to the largest living tree (by volume) in the world. 8 Extremely Weird Things Only People From Southern California Do. Weird California: You Travel Guide to California's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets (Volume 7) [Bishop, Greg, Oesterle, Joe, Marinacci, Mike, Moran, Mark, Sceurman, Mark] on Amazon.com. It’s General Sherman, and it lives in Sequoia … Eureka! Welcome to Weird California, the strangest state west of New Jersey. The California grizzly can still be found on the state flag and is still the official state animal of California. Even though the rest of the country was facing the Great Depression, San Francisco constructed both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Oakland Bay Bridge during that time. It has also given the US … If you want more information about how to research unusual California sites and people, consider viewing our research guide to . Subscribe to the Mailing List for occasional emails! But you can’t buy, like, a severed finger or anything. California has some weird laws – in Blythe, California, it is illegal to wear cowboy boots unless you own a minimum of two cows. Jung was the founder of the Hong Kong Noodle Company in Los Angeles, and fought the San Francisco’s Court of Historical Review for the title of inventor. When California entered the Union in 1850, San … Odd Laws in the San Diego Area According to the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management: “Connecting the Pacific Ocean with the land, the California Coastal National Monument provides unique coastal habitat for marine-dependent wildlife and vegetation on more than 20,000 rocks, islands, exposed reefs and pinnacles along the California coastline, as well as 7,924 acres of public land in six onshore units: Trinidad Head, Waluplh-Lighthouse Ranch, Lost Coast Headlands, Point Arena-Stornetta, Cotoni-Coast Dairies, and Piedras Blancas.”. 17. The history of Chico, California, begins with the original inhabitants, the Mechoopda Maidu.. Daniel Kish, born 1966 in Montebello, California, the president of the World Access for the Blind, is … In … Historian W.H. 1850-08-31 California pioneers organized at Montgomery & Clay Streets; 1850-09-09 California is admitted as the thirty-first state of the Union; 1851-01-31 San Francisco Orphan's Asylum founded, 1st in California; 1851-03-25 Yosemite Valley discovered in California; 1852-04-19 California Historical Society forms; 1852-07-03 Congress authorizes US's 2nd mint (San Francisco, California) Additionally some of the lesser known and more bizarre history of California is featured here as well ranging from the It’s illegal to “own” or “keep” any “offensive-smelling” animal hides in this California town. Weird California: You Travel Guide to California's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets (Volume 7) California is famous for its Hollywood stars and majestic landscapes, but check out these 20 things you may not know were invented in the Golden State. California is the only state that was a host of both Summer and Winter Olympics. Picturesque Sausalito is right across the bay from San Francisco, and as you can imagine, sitting on one of its docks offers dazzling views of the city. Some of our favorite weird California laws include the following. We bet you didn’t know these facts from the Golden State. Updated 2/9/2020 – An inexplicably shaped animal track, an odd noise in the woods or a disquieting shape barely glimpsed through the underbrush.. Or perhaps the frantic words of a camper scared out of his wits by what he swears he saw while backpacking alone.. Sightings of cryptids are common in wilderness areas such as parts of California, but conclusive proof is vanishingly rare. Below you will find links to some of the weirdest stories from the golden state, but remember, the tales on this website are only the tip of the iceberg. Discover 1217 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in California from The Wave Organ to Robo Lights. In Carmel, it is against the law for women to wear high heel shoes. You won’t be able to bring any nuclear weapons to Chico, so leave those at home. Make sure you've got a fully charged smartphone or GPS device, up-to-date car insurance, and patience. Tweet This Gold Rush began in 1848, but there was also a Silver Rush in California from 1881 to 1896. California Oddities or contacting us via the following methods. The cookies were made by San Francisco bakery Benkyodo. However, a Chinese immigrant named David Jung contested that he invented the cookie in 1918 in Los Angeles. Southern California has a wonderfully weird and wacky side that makes this place so darn lovable and incredibly approachable. In 1994, the California prison guard’s union was a major force behind California’s “three strikes” law, thereby increasing member’s job security. 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