Events in Oakland History
- 1849-09-19 1st commercial laundry established, in Oakland, California
- 1863-09-01 Rail & ferry connection between San Francisco & Oakland inaugurated
- 1868-03-23 University of California founded in Oakland, California
- 1870-03-18 1st US National Wildlife Preserve (Lake Meritt in Oakland California)
- 1874-02-21 Oakland Daily Tribune begins publication in Oakland, California
- 1912-01-13 -40°F (-40°C), Oakland, Maryland (state record)
28th US Open
1924-06-06 US Open Men's Golf, Oakland Hills CC: Unknown Englishman Cyril Walker wins his only major title, 3 strokes ahead of runner-up and defending champion Bobby Jones
- 1928-05-31 1st aerial crossing of Pacific takes off from Oakland
- 1929-07-15 1st airport hotel opens at Oakland, California
- 1931-02-20 Congress allows California to build Oakland-Bay Bridge
- 1933-07-04 Work begins on Oakland Bay Bridge
Earhardt Flies Honolulu to Oakland
1935-01-11 Amelia Earhart flies from Honolulu to Oakland, California (non-stop, of course)
- 1936-11-12 Oakland Bay Bridge opens
- 1937-06-12 US Open Men's Golf, Oakland Hills CC: Ralph Guldahl wins first of his 2 consecutive US titles, 2 strokes ahead of Sam Snead
- 1938-08-17 1st aircraft owned by US Forest Service in service (Oakland)
- 1945-09-10 KLS-AM in Oakland, California changes call letters to KWBR (now KDIA)
- 1951-06-16 US Open Men's Golf, Oakland Hills CC: Ben Hogan wins his second consecutive US Open title, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Clayton Heafner.
- 1958-03-03 KTVU TV channel 2 in Oakland-San Francisco, California (IND) 1st broadcast
- 1959-06-07 KLX-AM in Oakland California changes call letters to KEWB (now KNEW)
- 1960-01-26 Oakland Raiders enter the American Football League
- 1961-06-17 US Open Men's Golf, Oakland Hills CC: Gene Littler wins his sole major title, 1 stroke ahead of runners-up Bob Goalby and Doug Sanders
- 1963-07-08 Reports of Charlie Finley's intention to move KC A's to Oakland
- 1963-10-12 San Francisco's Oakland Bay Bridge converted to 1-way on each deck
- 1964-10-16 Indians' directors vote to keep franchise in Cleveland, rejecting bids by Seattle, Oakland & Dallas
- 1966-08-27 Oakland Pitcher Paul Lindblad begins a 385 cons errorless streak
- 1966-11-09 Oakland Coliseum Arena opens
- 1967-10-13 First American Basketball Association (ABA) game is played with Oakland Oaks beating Anaheim Amigos, 132-129; red, white & blue ball and 3-point field goal introduced
- 1967-10-16 Joean Baez and 123 other anti-draft protesters are arrested in Oakland, California
- 1967-10-18 MLB American League votes to allow Kansas City Athletics to move to Oakland, California & expand league to 12 teams in 1971 with Kansas City & Seattle teams - later accelerated to 1969 due to pressure from Kansas City politicians
- 1967-12-08 NHL California Seals change name to Oakland Seals
- 1968-01-15 Minnesota North Stars forward Bill Masterton dies 2 days after suffering a head injury in a game against the Oakland Seals; the only death as a result of a game injury in NHL history
- 1968-04-17 A's 1st game in Oakland-Alameda Stadium, lose 4-1 to Baltimore Orioles
- 1968-05-08 Jim (Catfish) Hunter of Oakland pitches perfect game vs Twins (4-0)
- 1969-05-07 2nd ABA championship: Oakland Oaks beat Indiana Pacers, 4 games to 1
- 1969-10-02 Seattle Pilots' last game in Seattle; crash to 98th season loss, 3-1 to Oakland in front of just 5,473; move to Milwaukee as the Brewers next season
- 1969-10-19 Oakland Darryle Lamonica passes for 6 touchdowns vs Buffalo (50-21)
- 1970-04-13 Oakland uses gold-colored bases during the club's home opener: Rules Committee subsequently bans this innovation
- 1972-09-11 BART begins service with a 26-mi (42-km) line from Oakland to Fremont
- 1972-09-24 Jack Tatum, Oakland, sets NFL record with 104-yard fumble return, in a 20-14 win over Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, Green Bay Wisconsin; record tied by Aeneas Williams of the Arizona Cardinals in 2000
- 1973-07-30 Texas Rangers Jim Bibby no-hits 1st-place Oakland, 6-0
- 1973-10-11 Oakland beats Baltimore 3 games to 2 to win AL pennant
- 1976-11-09 Oakland A's release Billy Williams, ending his Hall of Fame baseball career
- 1977-08-12 For 2nd straight day, Oakland's Manny Sanguillen foils a no-hit bid
Sports History
1978-04-02 Czech tennis star Martina Navratilova wins her first WTA Tour Championship; beats Evonne Goolagong Cawley of Australia 7-6, 6-4 at Oakland Coliseum Arena
- 1979-05-07 Gary Roenicke hits into Orioles 13th triple play (Oakland)
Baseball Record
1979-06-24 Rickey Henderson debuts for Oakland & steals his 1st base
- 1981-01-04 "Red Right 88", trailing 14–12 Clevelands Browns attempt an end zone pass play (Red Right 88) and a game-winning field goal in the final minute, but pass intercepted by Raiders safety Mike Davis and Oakland wins
US Senior Golf Open
1981-07-12 US Senior Open Men's Golf, Oakland Hills CC: Arnold Palmer comfortably wins 18-hole playoff against Billy Casper and Bob Stone
- 1981-10-15 Professional cheerleader Krazy George Henderson leads what is thought to be the first audience wave in Oakland, California.
- 1981-11-22 SD Charger Dan Fouts passes for 6 touchdowns vs Oakland (55-21)
- 1982-08-02 Oakland outfielder Rickey Henderson steals his 100th MLB base of the season in 6-5 win v Seattle, first to steal 100 twice in modern era
- 1983-07-03 Texas Rangers explode for MLB single extra innings record 12 runs in 15th inning of 16-4 win v Oakland
- 1983-09-13 Oakland's Rickey Henderson 3rd straight 100 steals for season
Navratilova’s Winning Streak Ends
1984-01-15 Martina Navratilova’s 54-match winning streak ends when beaten by Hana Mandlíková 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 in the final of the Virginia Slims of California tennis event in Oakland; after loss Navratilova wins next 74 matches for new record
- 1985-06-16 US Open Men's Golf, Oakland Hills CC: 1978 champion Andy North wins by 1 stroke ahead of runners-up Dave Barr, T C Chen and Denis Watson
- 1985-07-14 Last USFL game-Baltimore Stars defeats Oakland Invaders, 28-24
Mark McGwire
1987-07-05 A's 1st baseman Mark McGwire becomes first rookie to hit 30 HRs before the MLB All-Star Game as Oakland beats Red Sox, 6-2
- 1987-07-14 58th All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 2-0 in 13 at Oakland-Alameda Stad
- 1987-08-14 Oakland's Mark McGwire sets rookie HR record at 39, en route to 49
- 1987-11-03 Oakland A's first baseman Mark McGwire wins American League Rookie of the Year with 49 home runs, 118 RBI; second to win AL award unanimously; first Carlton Fisk 1972
- 1988-05-18 In just Oakland's 39th of the season, pitcher Dave Stewart breaks record with his 12th balk en route to 16
- 1989-09-27 Oakland wins AL West & SF wins NL West title
- 1989-10-08 Oakland beats Toronto, 4-3 in Game 5, to advance to the World Series
- 1990-03-12 LA Raiders announce their return to Oakland
- 1990-05-24 A car carrying American Earth First! activists Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney explodes in Oakland, California, critically injuring both
Sports History
1990-06-11 Nolan Ryan pitches his 6th no-hitter beating Oakland, in 9th he retires Ken Phelps, Rickey Henderson & Willie Randolph (all ex Yanks)
- 1990-08-08 Baltimore Orioles pull their 10th triple play (1-6-3 vs Oakland)
- 1990-09-09 Oakland beats NY 7-3 to complete a 12-game sweep of Yankees this year
- 1990-11-13 Oakland's Bob Welch wins AL Cy Young Award
- 1990-11-20 Oakland's Rickey Henderson wins AL MVP
- 1991-05-01 A's outfielder Rickey Henderson steals all time MLB record 939th base in 7-4 win vs New York Yankees in Oakland
- 1991-07-28 US Senior Open Men's Golf, Oakland Hills CC: Jack Nicklaus matches course record of 65 to beat Chi Chi Rodriguez by 4 strokes in an 18-hole Monday playoff
- 1991-10-21 24 die in a fire in Oakland Calif
- 1992-03-29 Ice Dance Championship in Oakland, California won by Klimova & Ponomarenko (CIS)
- 1992-03-29 Ice Pairs Championship in Oakland, California won by Mishuktienok & Dmitriev (CIS)
- 1992-03-29 Men's Figure Skating Championship in Oakland, California won by Viktor Petrenko (CIS)
- 1992-05-01 Oakland outfielder Rickey Henderson steals his 1,000th MLB career base in A's 7-6 win at Detroit
- 1993-07-05 As' outfielder Rickey Henderson leads off both games of Oakland's doubleheader vs Cleveland with homers (first time since 1913)
- 1993-07-31 Toronto Blue Jays obtain future Baseball Hall of Fame OF Rickey Henderson from Oakland in exchange for minor leaguers Steve Karsay and Jose Herrera
Sports History
1994-10-31 American tennis star Venus Williams makes her professional debut as a 14-year-old with a 6-3, 6-4 win over former NCAA champion and world No. 58 Shaun Stafford in the Bank of the West Classic in Oakland, California
- 1996-06-16 US Open Men's Golf, Oakland Hills GC: Steve Jones wins his lone major title, 1 stroke ahead of runners-up Tom Lehman and Davis Love III
- 1996-12-18 The Oakland, California school board passes a resolution officially declaring "Ebonics" a language or dialect.
- 1997-07-31 A's first baseman Mark McGwire becomes MLB's top home run hitter to be traded in the middle of a season when he moves from Oakland to St. Louis Cardinals (34 home runs and 81 RBI)
- 2004-09-19 Ryder Cup Golf, Oakland Hills CC: Europe retains Cup wins 18½-9½; victory margin largest by a European team in history of the event
Jack Kevorkian Released
2007-06-01 Jack Kevorkian is released from prison after serving eight years of his 10-25 year prison term for the 1998 second-degree murder of Thomas Youk
- 2012-04-02 Oikos University, Oakland shooting kills seven people and injures 3
- 2014-02-01 Ray Guy (Oakland/LA Raiders) becomes second pure kicker, and first pure punter to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- 2016-12-02 Fire during a dance party at an illegally re=purposed warehouse in Oakland< California kills 36
- 2018-06-25 Oakland pitcher Edwin Jackson takes the mound in a 5-4 win at Detroit; A's are his 13th MLB club, tying Octavio Dotel's record
Famous People from Oakland
- 1869-06-27 Kate Carew [Mary Williams], American caricaturist, born in Oakland, California (d. 1961)
- 1874-10-08 Nance O'Neil, American actor (Cimarron), born in Oakland, California (d. 1965)
- 1877-01-10 Frederick Gardner Cottrell, American inventor (electrostatic precipitator), born in Oakland, California (d. 1948)
- 1878-05-24 Lillian Moller Gilbreth, American psychologist and industrial engineer (CIOS Gold Medal-1954), born in Oakland, California (d. 1972)
- 1884-10-17 Lewis Bennison, American actor (The Road Called Straight), born in Oakland, California (d. 1929)
- 1891-06-26 Sidney Coe Howard, American dramatist (Swords, Pulitzer 1925), born in Oakland, California (d. 1939)
- 1896-02-08 Orville Caldwell, American actor (Patsy, French Doll, Last Warning), born in Oakland, California (d. 1967)
- 1901-06-24 Harry Partch, American composer (Revelations in the Courthouse Park; Delusion Of The Fury), and instrument inventor, born in Oakland, California (d. 1974) [1]
- 1905-09-18 Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, American comedian and actor (The Jack Benny Program), born in Oakland, California (d. 1977)
- 1905-12-08 Charles Cushing, American composer, born in Oakland, California (d. 1982)
- 1908-02-07 Clarence "Buster" Crabbe, American swimmer (Olympic gold 1932) and actor (Tarzan the Fearless, Flash Gordon), born in Oakland, California (d. 1983)
- 1912-04-11 John Larkin, American actor (Saints & Sinners, The Satan Bug, 12 O'Clock High), born in Oakland, California (d. 1965)
- 1912-12-01 Cookie Lavagetto, American baseball third baseman (MLB All Star 1938-41; Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Dodgers) and manager (Washington Senators 1957-61), born in Oakland, California (d. 1990)
- 1914-12-30 (Catherine) Jo Van Fleet, American Tony and Academy Award-winning actress (The Trip To Bountiful; East of Eden; Cool Hand Luke), born in Oakland, California (d. 1996) [some sources give birth as 12/29/15]
- 1915-05-01 Archie Williams, American athlete (Olympic gold 400m 1936), born in Oakland, California (d. 1993)
- 1915-06-13 Don Budge, American tennis player (6 Grand Slam singles titles, Grand Slam 1938), born in Oakland, California (d. 2000)
- 1917-03-23 Kenneth Tobey, American actor (The Thing from Another World, Innerspace, Whirlybirds), born in Oakland, California (d. 2002)
- 1917-03-30 Herbert Anderson, American character actor (Dennis The Menace, Battleground), born in Oakland, California (d. 1994)
- 1917-10-28 Jack Soo [Goro Suzuki], Japanese-American actor (Flower Drum Song, Barney Miller), born in Oakland, California (d. 1979)
- 1920-12-25 Jerome Richardson, American jazz musician, born in Oakland, California (d. 2000)
- 1921-04-01 William Bergsma, American composer (The Fortunate Islands; The Murder of Comrade Sharik), and educator (Juilliard, 1946-63; University of Washington, 1963-86), born in Oakland, California (d. 1994)
- 1921-04-14 Thomas Schelling, American economist, (Nobel Prize 2005 - game-theory analysis), born in Oakland, California (d. 2016)
- 1921-12-05 Peter Hansen, American actor (General Hospital, The War of the Roses), born in Oakland, California (d. 2017)
- 1922-01-31 William Sylvester, American actor (2001: A Space Odyssey, Gemini Man), born in Oakland, California (d. 1995)
- 1923-06-26 Barbara Graham, American criminal convicted of murder, born in Oakland, California (d. 1955)
- 1925-01-23 Marty Paich, American jazz pianist, conductor, producer and arranger (Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson), born in Oakland, California (d. 1995)
- 1925-08-06 Leland Smith, American composer, bassoonist and computer coder who led music publishing into the digital age (SCORE), born in Oakland, California (d. 2013)
- 1925-10-27 Jane Connell, American actress (Jane-Stanley, Bridget-Dumpling), born in Oakland, California (d. 2013)
- 1927-04-26 John Ralston, American College Football Hall of Fame linebacker, coach and executive (Cal, Stanford, Denver Broncos), born in Oakland, California (d. 2019)
- 1929-10-04 Scotty Beckett, American actor (Our Gang, Listen Darling, Battleground), born in Oakland, California (d. 1968)
- 1930-08-16 Robert Culp, American actor, screenwriter, voice actor, and director (I Spy, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice), born in Oakland, California (d. 2010)
Edwin Meese (92 years old)
1931-12-02 American author and 75th United States Attorney General (1985-88), born in Oakland, California
- 1931-12-04 Wally George, American conservative TV commentator, born in Oakland, California (d. 2003)
- 1933-04-24 Patricia Bosworth, American actor, journalist, writer, and biographer, born in Oakland, California (d. 2020)
- 1933-04-29 Rod McKuen, American singer-songwriter ("Love's Been Good to Me"; "Jean"; "Without A Worry In The World"), and poet (Lonesome Cities), born in Oakland, California (d. 2015)
- 1934-02-25 Tony Lema, American golfer (British Open 1964), born in Oakland, California (d. 1966)
- 1935-11-24 Ron Dellums, American politician (D-House representative from California, 1971-1998), born in Oakland, California (d. 2018)
- 1937-12-04 Max Baer Jr, American actor (The Beverly Hillbillies - "Jethro Bodine"), born in Oakland, California
- 1938-05-03 Chris Cannizzaro, American baseball player, born in Oakland, California (d. 2016)
- 1940-06-14 William P. Baker, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California), born in Oakland, California
- 1940-07-10 Mills Watson, American actor (Harper Valley PTA, BJ & Bear), born in Oakland, California
- 1941-02-20 Clyde Wright, American MLB pitcher (no-hitter v Oakland 1970), born in Jefferson City, Tennessee
- 1941-10-02 Ron Meagher, American rock bassist (The Beau Brummels - "Just A Little"), born in Oakland, California
- 1942-01-05 Dany Sava [Danielle Savalle], French actress (Moon Pilot), born in Paris, France
- 1943-02-09 Squire Fridell, American actor (Rosetti & Ryan), born in Oakland, California
- 1943-08-19 Edwin Hawkins, American gospel musician, choir master and composer ("Oh Happy Day"), born in Oakland, California (d. 2018)
- 1944-09-22 Roger Nichols, American recording engineer, producer and inventor (Steely Dan; John Denver), born in Oakland, California (d. 2011)
- 1945-04-25 Stu Cook, American rock bassist (Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Proud Mary"; "Fortunate Son"), born in Oakland, California
- 1947-01-05 Ted Lange, American actor (Isaac-Love Boat, Mr T & Tina), born in Oakland, California
- 1947-05-21 Bill Champlin, American Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and producer (Chicago, 1981-2009; Sons of Champlin), born in Oakland, California
- 1947-10-30 Timothy B. Schmit, American bass player and singer (Eagles - "I Can't Tell You Why"; Poco - "Cimmarron Rose"), born in Oakland, California
- 1948-01-23 Anita Pointer, American pop and R&B singer (The Pointer Sisters - "He's So Shy"; "I'm So Excited"), born in Oakland, California (d. 2022)
- 1949-10-11 Greg Douglass, American rock guitarist, and vocalist (Steve Miller Band - Abracadabra), born in Oakland, California
- 1951-05-07 Mic Gillette, American trumpet, trombone, and flugelhorn player (Tower of Power, Cold Blood, The Sons of Champlin), born in Oakland, California (d. 2016)
Mark Hamill (72 years old)
1951-09-25 American actor (Star Wars - "Luke Skywalker"), born in Oakland, California
- 1953-02-26 Bree Walker, American news anchor (WNBC TV, KNBC TV), born in Oakland, California
- 1953-07-24 Jon Faddis, American jazz trumpeter and educator, born in Oakland, California
- 1954-10-03 Dennis Eckersley, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (6 x MLB All Star; AL Cy Young Award 1992; AL MVP 1992; Oakland A's), born in Oakland, California
- 1956-11-03 Bob Welch, American baseball pitcher (AL Cy Young Award 1990; Oakland A's; World Series 1981, 89, 2001), born in Seal Beach, California (d. 2014)
- 1957-12-12 Sheila E.[scovedo], American singer, drummer and percussionist (Krush Grove, Holly Rock), born in Oakland, California
- 1961-07-21 Jim Martin, American rock guitarist (Faith No More - "Real Thing"), born in Oakland, California
- 1961-08-09 Brad Gilbert, American tennis player and coach, born in Oakland, California
- 1962-03-30 MC Hammer [Stanley Kirk Burrell], American rapper (Hammer Time), born in Oakland, California
- 1962-08-02 Cynthia Stevenson, American actress (Bob, Hope & Gloria), born in Oakland, California
- 1963-02-14 D'Wayne Wiggins, American musician (Tony! Toni! Tone!), born in Oakland, California
- 1963-12-18 Lori McNeil, American tennis player (1995 Oakland doubles), born in San Diego, California
- 1964-01-31 Jeff Hanneman, American rock guitarist (Slayer), born in Oakland, California (d. 2013)
- 1964-06-28 Tommy Lynn Sells, American serial killer, born in Oakland, California (d. 2014)
- 1964-08-24 Pebbles [Perri Reid (née McKissack)], American pop singer ("Girlfriend"), minister, and gospel singer, born in Oakland, California
Kamala Harris (59 years old)
1964-10-20 American lawyer, politician and 49th Vice President of the United States (2021-) who was the 1st African-American, Asian-American attorney general of California, born in Oakland, California
- 1965-02-01 Brandon Lee, American actor (Showdown in Little Tokyo), born in Oakland, California (d. 1993)
- 1966-01-17 Don Myrah, American cyclist (Olympics 20th-96), born in Oakland, California
- 1966-05-14 Raphael Saadiq, American musician (Tony! Toni! Toné!), born in Oakland California
- 1966-08-31 Jeff Frye, American MLB infielder (Boston Red Sox), born in Oakland, California
- 1966-09-29 Jill Whelan, American actress (Vicki-Love Boat, Young & Restless), born in Oakland, California
- 1967-01-05 J. H. Wyman, American film producer and director (Almost Human), born in Oakland, California
- 1968-01-08 Brian Johnson, American catcher (San Diego Padres), born in Oakland, California
- 1968-07-19 Robert Flynn, American musician (Machine Head), born in Oakland, California
- 1969-08-09 Divine Brown [Estelle Marie Thompson], American prostitute (Hugh Grant), born in Oakland, California
- 1970-04-20 Shemar Moore, American actor (Malcolm-Young & Restless), born in Oakland, California
- 1970-07-05 Mac Dre [Andre Louis Hicks], American rapper and hip hop pioneer, born in Oakland, California (d. 2004)
- 1970-07-14 Thomas Lauderdale, American musician (Pink Martini), born in Oakland, California
- 1970-08-14 Kevin Rene Cadogan, American singer-songwriter (Third Eye Blind), born in Oakland, California
- 1971-05-14 Raphael Wiggins, American rapper (Lifelines), born in Oakland, California
Billie Joe Armstrong (52 years old)
1972-02-17 American singer and musician (Green Day - "Basket Case"; "American Idiot"), born in Oakland, California
- 1972-07-12 Brett Reed, American rock drummer (Rancid, 1991-2006 - "Time Bomb"), born in Oakland, California
- 1972-08-12 Del The Funky Homosapien [Teren Delvon Jones], American rapper (Mistadobalina), born in Oakland, California
- 1972-12-14 Marcus Jensen, American baseball player, born in Oakland, California
- 1974-01-28 Jermaine Dye, American baseball outfielder (MLB All-Star 2000, 06; World Series MVP 2005 Chicago White Sox; Gold Glove Award 2000 KC Royals), born in Oakland, California
Mahershala Ali (50 years old)
1974-02-16 American actor (Moonlight, Green Book), born in Oakland, California
- 1977-10-13 Paul Pierce, American basketball player, born in Oakland, California
- 1978-02-20 Chelsea Peretti, American comedian and actress (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), born in Oakland, California
- 1982-01-12 Dontrelle Willis, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 2003, 05; World Series & NL Rookie of the Year 2003; NL wins leader 2005; Florida Marlins), born in Oakland, California
- 1984-01-22 Leon Powe, American basketball player, born in Oakland, California
- 1986-05-23 Ryan Coogler, American director and screenwriter (Fruitvale Station, The Black Panther), born in Oakland, California
- 1990-07-15 Damian Lillard, American basketball player (Portland Trail Blazers), born in Oakland, California
Zendaya (27 years old)
1996-09-01 American actress (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Euphoria), singer and dancer, born in Oakland, California
- 1998-08-01 Khamani Griffin, American actor (All Of Us, Daddy Day Care), born in Oakland, California
Famous Americans
'Philadelphia' Jack O'Brien
50 Cent
A Boogie wit da Hoodie
A. E. Douglass
A. J. Foyt
Aaron Burr