5 Incredibly Interesting Facts About Texas
“Y’all are fixin’ to learn a thing or two about Texas.”
For some who are not native to this local state, the previous sentence probably seems filled with fragments of a foreign language. To be fair, it’s not 100% proper English. It contains a good amount of “Texanese,” a colloquialism for the English dialect spoken in this great state.
To be Texan is to be very unique, and sometimes, misunderstood. Whether it’s via relocation or mere visiting, the assumed Texan is a cowboy, who rides horses everywhere, has a thick southern drawl, says “ma’am” and “sir,” and loves football.
While some of those do ring true (Sundays are sacred for both church and football and Texans do generally have proper manners), there’s a lot about this state people may not know. For example, did you know Austin is considered the live music capital of the world? Or did you know that second to only New York City, Houston has the most theatre seats in a concentrated downtown area in the nation? How about some of the following fun facts:
The first word spoken on the moon was “Houston.”
The state was an independent nation from 1836 to 1845.
Texas possesses three of the Top Ten most populous cities in the U.S. - Houston, Dallas and San Antonio (as of 2010 census).*
The population of Texas is 26 million (not including the 14-16 million cattle).
While everything may be bigger in Texas, the many little things truly make this state so special. Here are five little known facts about Texas:
1. Texas is the only state to have the flags of 6 different nations fly over it.
Texas has a very storied history, as this land has been under the reign of six different countries: Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, the Confederate States, and the United States.
Spain and France each controlled parts of Texas intermittently for centuries.
Spain's rule over Texas began in 1519 and spanned to 1821. In 1684, A portion of Texas was colonized near the gulf coast by the Frenchman René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.
After six unsuccessful years, Fort Saint Louis was deemed a failure and was all but abandoned once La Salle was murdered.
France regained partial control again in 1800, after Spain ceded French Louisiana (which contained parts of northern Texas), which would ultimately sell to the U.S. as part of the Louisiana purchase in 1803.
In 1821, Mexico claimed Texas and would do so until 1836, when Texas claimed independence. (This is when the likes "Sam Houston" and "Davy Crockett" became household names and "Remember the Alamo!" was born.)
From 1836 until 1845, Texas was its own nation, the Republic of Texas. At that time, the state joined the U.S.A.
When the Civil War divided the Confederacy and the Union, Texas (in the South) was under confederate rule from 1861-1865. Once the North won the war, Texas was once again one of the United States.
Now, whenever you visit a Six Flags theme park, you'll understand from where the name was derived.
2. Texas comes from the Hasinai Indian word "táysha'," meaning friends or allies.
The Hasinai Confederacy was a large confederation of Caddo-speaking Native Americans. The confederacy's territory ranged between the Sabine and Trinity rivers in eastern Texas, northern Louisiana, and portions of southern Arkansas and Oklahoma.
They were forced to a reservation in Texas in the early 19th century, then removed in 1859 to Indian Territory.
The tribe was very prevalent in the times discussed above (under constant back and forth control amongst many countries). Earlier Spanish explorers called the Hasinai Tejas, which means "friends" or "allies."
Today the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma is a federally recognized tribe with its capital at Binger, Oklahoma.
3. Texas has the first domed stadium in the country. The structure was built in Houston and opened in April 1965.
Some know it as the "Eighth wonder of the world." Others know it as the old home of the Houston Astros. What today is an afterthought adjacent to NRG Park, the Astrodome was a once a modern marvel.
Construction of the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium began in 1962 and officially opened in 1965.
The once "Harris County Domed Stadium" served as the second home to the Astros from 1965 until 1999 and home to the NFL's Houston Oilers from 1968 until 1996. It was also part-time home of the Houston Rockets from 1971 until 1975.
While it originally homed a natural grass playing field, the Astrodome became the first major sports venue to feature artificial turf, which became known as "AstroTurf." The Astrodome was also featured the "Astrolite", the first animated scoreboard.
Local upgrades eventually rendered the Astrodome a home without tenants. The Oilers moved to Tennessee before becoming the Titans. In 2002, the Houston Texans became the NFL's 32nd franchise and found a new home in Reliant Stadium.
The Astros moved to Enron Field (now Minute Maid Park) in 2000. The Rockets reached the Summit/Compaq Center before relocating to Toyota Center. Even the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo left the Astrodome behind, relocating to the neighboring Reliant Stadium with the Texans.
While the Astrodome may have a place in our heart, it also resides on the National Register of Historic Places.
4. One of the worst natural disasters in United States history was caused by a hurricane that hit Galveston in 1900.
In 1900, Galveston was considered to be a beautiful and prestigious city and was known as the "Ellis Island of the West" and the "Wall Street of the Southwest". That is, until September 8th of that year.
What ensued became the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history. It had estimated winds of 145 mph, landing a Category 4 rating on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Its impact was so severe that parts of Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Cuba, the Bahamas, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, and even Eastern Canada were partially affected.
The death toll estimates lie between 6,000 to 12,000 people. To put things into context, the deadly Hurricane Katrina claimed an estimated 1,800 lives.
The Great Storm or the 1900 Storm, as it's often referred to, brought with it a surge of 15 feet, a vast 7.3 feet above Galveston's regular sea level. This surge knocked buildings off their foundations, destroyed close to 3,600 homes, and left a wall of debris against the gulf. Aside from the structural damage, perhaps most jarring were reports of the civilian casualties.
"First news from Galveston just received by train which could get no closer to the bay shore than six miles where the prairie was strewn with debris and dead bodies. About 200 corpses counted from the train. Large steamship stranded two miles inland. Nothing could be seen of Galveston. Loss of life and property undoubtedly most appalling. Weather clear and bright here with gentle southeast wind."
- G.L. Vaughan Manager, Western Union, Houston, in a telegram to the Chief of the U.S. Weather Bureau on the day after the hurricane, September 9, 1900
The amount of bodies was so excessive that burying all of them wasn't an option. They were initially weighed down on barges and dumped at sea until gulf currents washed many of the bodies back onto the beach, spawning the use of funeral pyres. Needless to say, it was a natural disaster of epic proportions.
After the storm, development shifted north to Houston, which was enjoying the benefits of the oil boom.
Today, Houston is the fourth largest city in the country. One has to wonder what the dynamic in Texas would be today had the Great Storm never hit.
5. The Heisman trophy is named for John William Heisman the first full-time coach and athletic director at Rice University in Houston.
College football is treated like more like a religion than it is a common pastime. Phrases like "BCS" and "Rose Bowl" are discussed as frequently as words of politics and business. Perhaps no word is more easily recognizable in NCAA football than "Heisman." Each year, the nations most outstanding player is donned the Heisman trophy, an award as prestigious as any across major sports.
Almost without a doubt, you can tell someone to strike the Heisman pose, and, almost innately, that person will curl their right arm (as if cradling a football), outstretch their left arm to capacity (putting forth a ferocious stiff arm), and lift a leg in the air at a 90-degree angle (demonstrating swagger and gravitas all at once).
With all this omnipresent knowledge of what the Heisman trophy is and what it represents, and even what the signature pose resembles, where exactly did the name come from? To find the answer, we must take a look at some college football history.
John William Heisman was a multi-sport athlete. In addition to playing football, he also played basketball and baseball. Oh, and he also coached all three sports, as well.
While his basketball coaching career was very forgettable and his baseball coaching career was actually quite respectable, his football accolades garner the most attention.
Heisman coached for eight different colleges from 1892 to 1927. He nabbed a national title with Georgia Tech and won 186 football games over his coaching career.
What's the connection to Texas? The last school Heisman touted was Rice University in Houston. He coached and led as athletic director of the Owls from 1924 until 1927, when he retired from the great game of football.
Heisman's innovations to the modern game of football are still felt today. He initiated one of the first shifts, was a proponent of the forward pass, and even originated the phrase "hike," that which every quarterback or kid playing ball in the backyard shouts to initiate the next play.
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