On January 10, 1901, the fate of Texas changed forever. The eruption of the Spindletop oil gusher marked the dawn of the modern petroleum industry. This discovery transformed Texas’s economy, culture, and global standing, sparking an oil boom that defined much of the 20th…
Read More
On December 29, 1845, Texas officially became the 28th state of the United States, marking the culmination of a decade-long struggle for recognition, sovereignty, and inclusion in the Union. The annexation of Texas stands as one of the most consequential and debated events in…
Read More
On December 21, 1826, a small group of American settlers in Nacogdoches, then part of Mexican Texas, issued a bold declaration of independence from Mexico. Their action marked the opening act of the Fredonian Rebellion, an ill-fated but historically significant uprising that foreshadowed the…
Read More
On October 22, 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first President of the Republic of Texas, a pivotal moment in the young nation’s fight for independence. This event came after a series of historic battles and political struggles that had culminated in the…
Read More
In the predawn hours of October 2, 1835, a column of Mexican dragoons rode toward the small frontier settlement of Gonzales. Their mission, routine in the eyes of Mexican authorities, would prove incendiary: they had come to reclaim a small cannon loaned to the…
Read More
On September 9, 1850, President Millard Fillmore staved off a potential civil war and stopped the spread of slavery in the United States by signing the Compromise of 1850. The compromise consisted of several legislative measures that were designed to balance the interests of…
Read More
On the night of August 13, 1906, the small border town of Brownsville, Texas, became the stage for one of the most notorious miscarriages of justice in U.S. military history. The 25th Infantry Regiment—an all-Black unit with a distinguished service record—had been stationed at…
Read More
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States. The first Juneteenth was celebrated on June 19, 1865, marking a pivotal moment in American history and symbolizing the end of slavery in the…
Read More
By late spring 1865, the Confederacy was collapsing in pieces. Richmond had fallen, Lee had surrendered at Appomattox, and President Jefferson Davis was a fugitive. Yet the vast expanse of the Trans-Mississippi—stretching from Texas to Arkansas and parts of Louisiana—remained a Confederate holdout, largely…
Read More
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, better known as Bonnie and Clyde, are among the most infamous figures in American criminal history. Their violent escapades during the Great Depression era captivated the nation and etched their names into the annals of American folklore as legendary bank robbers.…
Read More
