Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Summer of Love kicks off on January 14 at the Human Be-In in Golden Gate Park with blown
conch shells and brain cells, and draft cards used as rolling papers.
1968
Presidential candidate, former US attorney-general and civil-rights ally Robert Kennedy is fatally
shot in Los Angeles after winning the critical California presidential primary.
1969
UCLA sends data from one of its computers to another at Stanford University, typing just two
characters before the system crashes. The internet is born.
1969
Native American activists symbolically reclaim Alcatraz until ousted by the FBI in 1971. Public
support for protesters strengthens self-rule concessions for Native American tribes.
1977
San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk becomes the first openly gay man elected to California
public office. Milk sponsors a gay-rights bill before being murdered by political opponent Dan
White.
1989
On October 17, the Loma Prieta Earthquake hits 6.9 on the Richter scale near Santa Cruz, col-
lapsing a two-level section of Interstate 880 and resulting in 63 deaths and almost 4000 injuries.
1992
Four white police officers charged with assaulting African American Rodney King are acquitted by
a predominantly white jury. Following the trial, Los Angeles endures six days of riots.
1994
Orange County, one of the wealthiest municipalities in the US, declares bankruptcy after the
county treasurer loses $1.7 billion investing in risky derivatives and pleads guilty to felony
charges.
