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1947
In its one and only flight, the Spruce Goose is piloted by its designer Howard Hughes for a brief flight from its dock at Terminal Island off of Long Beach. It would later be displayed in its own domed hangar beside the Queen Mary. Originally a joint project of Henry J. Kaiser and Hughes to create a World War II troop transport along the lines of existing Flying Boats, but enlarged to fantastic proportions, the original design was never built. Outmaneuvered by competitors who wanted to block his entry to the aviation industry, Kaiser went on to other projects. Hughes downsized the original design and was forced to use wood rather than metal in building the prototype due to wartime resource restrictions. The plane is currently housed at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, in McMinnville, Oregon. Despite its nickname, the plane is constructed almost entirely of birch wood rather than spruce. [Sources: Embattled Dreams: California in War and Peace 1940 to 1950 by Kevin Starr, and the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum.]
1948
In the presidential election year of 1948, when Harry S Truman upset John Dewey, Belle Cooledge was elected as the first female mayor of Sacramento, California. In an at-large election with 20 candidates, Cooledge won the most votes. Fellow Council members then followed tradition and selected her mayor. [Sources: Sacramento Bee and Wikipedia.]
1967
The City of Yorba Linda is incorporated.
2020
The Honorable Sarah H. Heckman, Judge of the California Superior Court, rules that California Governor Gavin Newsom exceeded his authority under the California Emergency Services Act in amending State election law to mandate mail-in ballots for all voters. [Source: Superior Court of the State of California.]