Since 1940, the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds has been more than just a plot of land off Tully Road — it’s been a living snapshot of San Jose’s identity in motion. What started as a place to showcase the region’s agricultural roots — prize livestock,…

In 1887, Samuel Bishop made history by electrifying the streetcar line between San Jose and Santa Clara, marking the first electric streetcar line in America. Just a few years later, in 1891, the system was upgraded with overhead trolley wires, making the San Jose and…

While everyone flexes over Ivy Leagues and tech schools, let’s get one thing straight: San José State University is California’s first public university, established in 185.. Started as the Minns Evening Normal School to train teachers, SJSU grew into a powerhouse of intellect, activism, and…

In 1904, in downtown San Jose, a son of Italian immigrants named A.P. Giannini opened a small bank inside a converted saloon on Santa Clara Street. He called it the Bank of Italy, and it wasn’t for the rich — it was for everyone else.…

In the heart of Silicon Valley, San Jose’s LGBTQ+ movement has been quietly powerful — built by organizers, elected leaders, and everyday people who refused to be invisible. It began with safe spaces like the Billy DeFrank LGBTQ+ Community Center, founded in 1981 and named…

In 1975, Janet Gray Hayes made history — not just for San Jose, but for the entire country — when she became the first woman elected mayor of a major American city. A trained speech pathologist turned public servant, Hayes rose through local politics with…

In the 1960s, San José State wasn’t just producing fast runners — it was producing a movement. Known as Speed City, the university became the epicenter of track-and-field dominance under legendary coach Bud Winter. But what happened in 1968 wasn’t just about gold medals —…

In 1977, three Chicano visionaries — Sonny Madrid, David Nunez, and Larry Gonzales — launched something from San Jose that would ripple across the country: Lowrider Magazine. What started as a grassroots publication, pieced together in a local print shop (MAYA Press on Willow Street)…

Born in San Jose’s Japantown in 1931, Norm Mineta lived through some of America’s darkest and most transformative moments — and helped shape its brightest. As a child, he and his family were forcibly relocated to the Heart Mountain internment camp during WWII, simply for…

In the fight for equity in education, San Jose stood tall — and walked out. In 1968, Roosevelt Junior High School in became the site of a powerful community and student-led protest. Fueled by racism in the classroom and unequal treatment of Mexican American students,…