1. In 1782, the first recorded contact between Spanish explorers and Native Americans in California occurred on January 2. Fray Francisco Garcés and Juan Bautista de Anza encountered the Mojave tribe near the Colorado River.

2. On January 2, 1847, the first U.S. flag was raised in Los Angeles after the city was seized by American forces in the Mexican-American War. The event marked the end of Mexican rule in California.

3. In 1865, the California State Legislature authorized the establishment of the California State Normal School in San Jose, which would eventually become San Jose State University. This decision was made on January 2.

4. In 1971, the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship game on January 2, advancing to play in their first Super Bowl.

5. January 2, 2018 marked the first day of legal recreational marijuana sales in California, following the passage of Proposition 64 the previous year. The state became the largest in the country to legalize the drug for recreational use.