Some fun Texas facts.

[crispini]

Just because:

Beaumont to El Paso: 742 miles

Beaumont to Chicago: 770 miles

El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas

World's first rodeo was in Pecos... July 4, 1883.

The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the only hotel in North America built over water.

The Heisman Trophy was named after John William Heisman who was the first full time coach for Rice University in Houston.

Brazoria County has more species of birds than any other area in North America.

Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter home of North America's only remaining flock of whooping cranes.

Jalapeno jelly originated in Lake Jackson in 1978.

The worst natural disaster in U.S. history was in 1900 caused by a hurricane in which over 8000 lives were lost on Galveston Island.

The first word spoken from the moon, July 20, 1969, was "Houston."

King Ranch is larger than Rhode Island.

Tropical Storm Claudette brought a US rainfall record of 43" in 24 hours in and around Alvin in July 1979.

Texas is the only state to enter the U.S. by TREATY, instead of by annexation. (This allows the Texas flag to fly at the same height as the US flag.)

A Live Oak tree near Fulton is estimated to be 1500 years old.

Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the state.

Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. There is no period after Dr in Dr Pepper.

Texas has had 6 capital cities:

1. Washington-on-the-Brazos
2. Harrisburg
3. Galveston
4. Velasco
5. West Columbia
6. Austin

The Capitol Dome in Austin is the only dome in the U.S. which is taller than the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. by 7 feet.

The name Texas comes from the Hasini Indian word "tejas" meaning "friends."

Tejas is not Spanish for Texas.

The State animal is the Armadillo. (An interesting bit of trivia about the armadillo is they always have 4 babies. They have 1 egg which splits into 4 and they either have 4 males or 4 females.

The first domed stadium in the U.S. was the Astrodome in Houston.

[rogerashton]

1. Caddo Lake is partly in Louisiana.

and it is only partly natural. Used to bird a lot at the park just south of Oil City and at the dam, once saw a feral emu at the dam -- just trudging down the road, minding his own dam business --

But the native American Tejas was actually east relative to modern "Texas." It included part of Louisiana and Arkansas but nothing of Texas as far west as Dallas. It was a defensive conferation of woodland, crop-growing people against the nomadic Comanche and Kiowa raiders -- thus "friendly country" or "allied country." It was led by the Caddo people and their "capital" was actually in Louisiana, just about as far from the Comanche and the Kiowa as they could get it.

The unfortunate Caddo figured that they and the white folks had a common enemy in the Comanche and the Kiowa and so the white and the Caddo ought to be able to get along together -- white folks didn't see it that way. But that was never really put to the test as European diseases decimated the Caddo several times over and they consolidated their population on their ancestral land in Oklahoma. Creating an opportunity for my great-great-great grandpa.

[no_more_rhyming]

2. Drinks more Bud Light than any where else.

[harlinchi]

3. Somewhere James A. Michener is smiling.

I re-read his book "Texas" several times. The book is entertaining and informative.

Another fun fact: All those yee-haws who sing, "The Yellow Rose of Texas" are actually praising an attractive mulatta indentured servant/slave named Emily who, while 'attending' to Santa Anna at the outset of the Battle of San Jacinto, delayed him long enough to prevent an effective response by Santa Anna's forces.

The thought of all those 'good ole boys' singing praises to a Black female who was (by force or choice, I'm not sure) taking care of Santa Anna makes me smile!

[johncoby2]

4. You forgot to add:

Rick Perry is the dumbest Governor in the United States.

(Former Governor George W Bush is not allowed to complete)

[sonias]

5. Ah, but that's not fun for those of us impacted by his stupidity

Let's make Texas a fun place to live, work and play in once again - vote the miserable republican failures out of office.

Sonia

[MoJoWorkin]

6. NO. The dumbest Gov would be MINE( in MO) Son of Blunt

Matt Blunt, son of Roy (hopes to be Tom DeLay replacement--in corruption and in the House) Blunt.

[NoPasaran]

7. Whoever has the dumbest

Ours has the best hair

[sonias]

9. blunt force

blunt object, son of blunt. We get the picture. And I agree with the culture of corruption thread. Roy Blunt is exactly like Tom DeLay - meet the new boss, same as the old boss. And if the BFEE is a pattern I'm sure the blunt family is probably genetically as corrupt as the bush family.

Sonia

[tammywammy]

8. And home to Shiner Bock

:)

[gr8dane_daddy]

10. Home of the National Champions

Texas Longhorns :headbang:

[sonias]

11. And home to Molly Ivins and Jim Hightower

Texas treasures that we love.

Sonia