1. On May 17, 1848, a group of American settlers formed the California Republic and briefly declared independence from Mexico. This action eventually led to California becoming a state in 1850.

2. May 17, 1954, marked the landmark decision of Brown v. Board of Education, in which the Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

3. In 1967, May 17 was designated as a statewide holiday in California to honor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the state’s history. Milk was assassinated in 1978 but his legacy is celebrated every year on this date.

4. On May 17, 1973, the Zebra Murders trial began in San Francisco. The trial involved a group of African American men accused of killing over a dozen white people in racially motivated attacks in the city.

5. In 2014, May 17 became the first day that same-sex couples were able to legally wed in California following the overturning of Proposition 8, a state constitutional amendment that banned same-sex marriage.