1. On December 5, 1848, California was officially admitted into the United States as the 31st state. This followed the end of the Mexican-American War in which California was ceded to the U.S. and the discovery of gold in the state.

2. In 1955, the American actor and iconoclastic filmmaker James Dean died in a car crash on a highway near Cholame, California. Dean’s death at the young age of 24 added to his legendary status and cemented his place in popular culture.

3. On December 5, 1965, the Watts riots trial ended with the conviction of the Rev. James L. Bevel, one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s closest aides, and four others who were found guilty of inciting a riot in South Los Angeles in August 1965. The riots were sparked by the arrest and beating of a young black man by white policemen.

4. In 1993, the California State Assembly voted to expel one of its members, Assemblywoman Doris Allen, for office misconduct. Allen had been elected by Assembly Democrats and joined with Republicans to become the Assembly Speaker, but was criticized for a series of controversial decisions.

5. On December 5, 2017, wildfires ravaged Ventura and Santa Barbara counties in Southern California, destroying more than 1,000 structures and leaving at least one person dead. The fires, which forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate, were fueled by strong winds and dry conditions brought on by a prolonged drought in the region.