2003: Arnold Schwarzenegger becomes California governor
On this day in 2003, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger is elected governor of California, the most populous state in the nation with the world's fifth-largest economy. Despite his inexperience, Schwarzenegger came out on top in the 11-week campaign to replace Gray Davis, who had earlier become the first United States governor to be recalled by the people since 1921. Schwarzenegger was one of 135 candidates on the ballot, which included career politicians, other actors, and one adult-film star.
Born in Thal, Austria, on July 30, 1947, Arnold Schwarzenegger began body-building as a teenager. He won the first of four "Mr. Universe" body-building championships at the age of 20, and moved to the United States in 1968. He also went on to win a then-record seven "Mr. Olympia" championships, securing his reputation as a body-building legend, and soon began appearing in films. Schwarzenegger first attracted mainstream public attention for a Golden Globe-winning performance in Stay Hungry (1976) and his appearance in the 1977 documentary Pumping Iron. At the same time, he was working on a B.A. at the University of Wisconsin, from which he graduated in 1979.
Schwarzenegger's film career took off after his starring turn in 1982's Conan the Barbarian. In 1983, he became a U.S. citizen; the next year he made his most famous film,The Terminator, directed by James Cameron. Although his acting talent is probably aptly described as limited, Schwarzenegger went on to become one of the most sought-after action-film stars of the 1980s and early 1990s and enjoyed an extremely lucrative career. The actor's romantic life also captured the attention of the American public: he married television journalist and lifelong Democrat Maria Shriver, niece of the late President John F. Kennedy, in 1986.
With his film career beginning to stagnate, Schwarzenegger, a staunch supporter of the Republican party who had long been thought to harbor political aspirations, announced his candidacy for governor of California during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno . Aside from his well-known stint serving as chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under President George H.W. Bush, Schwarzenegger had little political experience. His campaign, which featured his use of myriad one-liners well-known from his movie career, was dogged by criticism of his use of anabolic steroids, as well as allegations of sexual misconduct and racism. Still, Schwarzenegger was able to parlay his celebrity into a win, appealing to weary California voters with talk of reform. He beat his closest challenger, the Democratic lieutenant governor Cruz Bustamante, by more than 1 million votes.
American Revolution
1780 : Patriots prevail in Carolinas
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/patriots-prevail-in-carolinas
Automotive
1960 : CBS broadcasts the premiere episode of "Route 66"
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/cbs-broadcasts-the-premiere-episode-of-route-66
Civil War
1864 : North and South clash at the Battle of Darbytown
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-darbytown-road-johnsons-farm
Cold War
1960 : Kennedy and Nixon debate Cold War foreign policy
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/kennedy-and-nixon-debate-cold-war-foreign-policy
Crime
1985 : Palestinian terrorists hijack an Italian cruise ship
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/palestinian-terrorists-hijack-an-italian-cruise-ship
Disaster
1871 : Massive fire burns in Wisconsin
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/massive-fire-burns-in-wisconsin
General Interest
1780 : Battle of King's Mountain
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-kings-mountain
1913 : Moving Assembly Line at Ford
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/moving-assembly-line-at-fordd
1949 : East Germany created
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/east-germany-created
2001 : U.S.-led attack on Afghanistan begins
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-led-attack-on-afghanistan-begins
Hollywood
1983 : Connery plays Bond in Never Say Never Again
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/connery-plays-bond-in-never-say-never-again
Literary
1955 : Ginsberg reads "Howl" for the first time
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ginsberg-reads-howl-for-the-first-time
Music
1975 : A New York judge reverses John Lennon's deportation order
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/a-new-york-judge-reverses-john-lennon39s-deportation-order
Old West
1816 : First double-decked steamboat, the Washington, arrives in New Orleans
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-double-decked-steamboat-the-washington-arrives-in-new-orleans
Presidential
2001 : President Bush announces military action in Afghanistan
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-bush-announces-military-action-in-afghanistan
Sports
1984 : Walter Payton sets a record
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/walter-payton-sets-a-record
Vietnam War
1969 : Wheeler announces progress in the Vietnamization effort
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wheeler-announces-progress-in-the-vietnamization-effort
1970 : Nixon announces a new peace proposal
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nixon-announces-a-new-peace-proposal
World War I
1914 : Antwerp under siege
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/antwerp-under-siege
World War II
1940 : German troops enter Romania
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/german-troops-enter-romania
1943 : Japanese execute nearly 100 American prisoners on Wake Island
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/japanese-execute-nearly-100-american-prisoners-on-wake-island
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