1. On December 1, 1835, the town of Sonoma was founded by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. Sonoma would become an important cultural and economic center in California in the coming decades.

2. December 1, 1848 marks the day that California was officially ceded to the United States from Mexico as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This would have significant ramifications for California's future as a state.

3. In 1955, the famous Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her actions would spur the civil rights movement, which would eventually reach California and inspire many leaders in the fight for equal rights.

4. On December 1, 1969, the first draft lottery during the Vietnam War was held in New York City. Many young men from California would be called up to serve in the war, causing controversy and unrest across the state and the country.

5. Finally, on December 1, 2017, devastating wildfires broke out in Ventura County, California, which would become among the most destructive and deadly in state history. The fires would burn for weeks and cause immeasurable damage and loss of life.