San Francisco’s Top 10 : Moments in History – Top 10 Scandals and Disasters

1. Native Americans

   There
   were settlements in the Bay as early as the 11th century BC, made up of
   hunters and gatherers who enjoyed a rich diet of seeds, shellfish, and
   game. Historians group these peoples into the Coast Miwok, the Wintun,
   and the Ohlone.

2. Sir Francis Drake

   In
   1579, the English privateer landed near Point Reyes and claimed Alta
   California for Queen Elizabeth I. Along with other early explorers of
   the area, he failed to notice the marvelous bay just inside the straits.
   England didn’t follow up its claim to Northern California, leaving it
   to the Spanish to conquer.

3. Spanish Control

   About
   200 years after Drake’s wanderings, Spain got serious about
   establishing a presence in Alta California. In 1776, an expedition led
   by Juan Bautista de Anza arrived at San Francisco Bay and established
   the Presidio (fort). A mission was also founded by Father Junipero Serra .

   
   

   
   
   

   Statue of Father Junipero Serra

4. American Takeover

   Impending
   war with Mexico in the 1840s inspired US leaders to arouse the interest
   of Bay Area settlers in joining the Union. In 1846, a party of Yankees
   in Sonoma declared California’s independence from Mexico, christening it
   the Bear Flag Republic. Shortly after, Commodore John Sloat claimed
   California as US territory.

5. Gold Rush Days

   In
   1848 landowner John Sutter noticed a curious glitter in the sediment of
   the American River in the Sierra Nevada foothills and realized it was
   gold. Despite attempts to keep the discovery quiet, word leaked out, and
   businessman Sam Brannan displayed a bottle of gold dust and nuggets for
   the whole city to see. The subsequent stampede of ‘49ers turned the
   city into a boom town overnight.

6. Wells Fargo

   Stagecoaches
   of Wells Fargo & Co began carrying freight and passengers in 1852,
   taking full advantage of the momentum set up by the Gold Rush. It was
   also instrumental in the development of the Pony Express .

7. Panama-Pacific Exposition

   Held in 1915 to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal, the real raison d’être for the festivities was that San Franciscans had resurrected their city after the 1906 disaster .

8. Bay and Golden Gate Bridges

   The
   Bay Bridge’s inauguration in 1936 heralded the end of the age of
   ferryboats by linking the city to the East Bay. The inauguration of the Golden Gate Bridge took place a year later.

9. ”Summer of Love”

   San
   Francisco counterculture burst forth in the summer of 1967. Suddenly,
   hippies were everywhere, and the eerie, poetic music that embodied a new
   way of thinking filled the air. It was a socio-political shift that
   affected the whole world.

10. Senators Feinstein and Boxer

    California
    has always been several steps ahead of the rest of the country. In 1992
    it became the first state to send two women Senators to the US
    Congress, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer.

Top 10 Scandals and Disasters