1944
- In Korematsu v. United States (plaintiff Fred Korematsu pictured), concerning the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066, which ordered Japanese Americans into internment camps during World War II regardless of citizenship, the Supreme Court sides with the government, ruling that the exclusion order was constitutional
- A munitions explosion (pictured) at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Port Chicago kills 320 sailors and civilians and injures 390 others, with most of the dead and injured enlisted African-American sailors.
- George P. Miller is elected to California's 6th congressional district
- The Hayward Area Recreation and Park District is created
- Americium and Curium are synthesized at the University of California, Berkeley, with the discovery kept secret due to World War II