On this Date in 1997...

...Diana, Princess of Wales, her companion Dodi Fayed, and their driver Henri Paul were killed in a high speed car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris.  Non-coincidentally, on the same day your truly arrived in California to live for the foreseeable future, ranging from Orange County, to San Diego, then eventually the Central Valley.

On this Date in 1927...

...the Dole Air Race begins from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, during which six out of the eight participating planes crash or disappear.  Pretty much because they were flying bananas and pineapples.

On this Date in 1973...

...in handing down the decision in Miller v. California 413 US 15, the Supreme Court of the United States establishes the Miller Test for obscenity in U.S. law.  The test consists of the following: If the word or phrase is able to make all presiding judges blush it is considered too obscene.

On this Date in 1952...

...Catalina affair: a Swedish Douglas DC-3 is shot down by a Soviet MiG-15 fighter.  What exactly they were doing off the coast of California is still under investigation.

On this Date in 1952...

...Catalina affair: a Swedish Douglas DC-3 is shot down by a Soviet MiG-15 fighter.  What exactly they were doing off the coast of California is still under investigation.

On this Date in 1980...

...in Norco, California, five masked gunman hold up a Security Pacific bank, leading to a violent shoot-out and one of the largest pursuits in California history. Two of the gunmen and one police officer are killed and thirty-three police and civilian vehicles are destroyed in the chase.  The movie version should be coming in a couple years.

On this Date in 1942...

...World War II: In retaliation for the Royal Air Force bombing of Lübeck several weeks prior, the Luftwaffe began a series of bombing raids in England, starting with Exeter.  Though, it appeared as though they would be going way over budget on the operation since someone in the planning committee accidentally chose the small town in California instead of the one in England.

On this Date in 1526...

...the last ruler of the Lodi Dynasty, Ibrahim Lodi was defeated and killed by Babur in the First Battle of Panipat.  And to this day it is still impossible to find it on a map of California.

On this Date in 1935...

...USS Macon, one of the two largest helium-filled airships ever created, crashes into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California and sinks.  Leaving many locals speaking in high pitched voices for weeks.