and.......
1819 - Eli Harris led an advance guard of the Long expedition across the Sabine River. He proceeded to Nacogdoches, where he published the first edition of the Texas Republican on August 14. Though no copies of the paper are extant, the St. Louis Enquirer stated that the content was "principally occupied with the military and political operations going on in that quarter." Those operations certainly included the activities of the Long expedition, the last filibustering attempt to kick the Spaniards out of Texas. This freelance project fell apart when Long's men, who had arrived in Nacogdoches a few days after Harris, failed to receive supplies. The men scattered. Some of them joined Jean Laffite, the famous Galveston Island pirate, and tried to enlist him in their cause. Harris and his men abandoned the printing press to forage off the land. Eventually Harris settled in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, where he became a judge. In 1841 he wrote to President Lamar of the Republic of Texas, claiming to have originated the Lone Star emblem of Texas.
1821 - Two days before Moses Austin died, his wife, Mary Brown Austin, hoping desperately for her husband's recovery, wrote one of the most widely known letters in Texas history in which she told their son, Stephen Fuller Austin, of Moses' wish for him to pursue the Texas colonization venture. He fulfilled his father's wish.
1835 - Agustín Viesca, the governor of the Mexican state of Coahuila and Texas, was arrested trying to cross into Texas. Viesca had taken office in April during a controversy between Saltillo and Monclova over location of the state capital. The state legislature disbanded and authorized the governor to move the seat of government to any site he might select. Viesca decided to move the capital to Bexar and urged the Texans to rise against the anti-Republican movement. He left Monclova in late May with the archives but learned of orders not to cross into Texas and returned to Monclova. With Benjamin R. Milam and John Cameron, he then attempted a secret escape to Texas, but was captured and sent as a prisoner to Monterrey. He escaped his guards and later made his way to Goliad with Dr. James Grant. By that time anti-Mexican sentiment was so strong that the officials at Goliad preferred a declaration of Texas independence to asserting loyalty to the Mexican Constitution of 1824, and Viesca was not acknowledged as governor.
1845 - Sam Houston and family arrived at Andrew Jackson's estate, The Hermitage, in Tennessee. Jackson died just one hour before Houston's arrival. In 1854, Houston will name a son after Jackson. Houston has been a great admirer and friend of Jackson. It was Jackson who suggested that Houston, when he left politics, migrate to Texas.
1908 - Ralph Yarborough was born at Chandler, Texas. He would become a United States Senator, and often found himself at odds with the more conservative Texas legislature.
1911 – Cereal millionaire C.W. Post sponsored the first of 21 “rain battles” in Texas. Explosives were fired in the air to encourage precipitation.
1921 - Gordon B. McLendon, radio programming innovator and sportscaster, nicknamed the Old Scotchman, was born at Paris, Texas. In 1947 McLendon and his father founded the Liberty Broadcasting System to carry live coverage of baseball games. For a time his broadcast partner was Hall of Fame pitcher Jay Hanna (Dizzy) Dean. [for a fascinating read of this radio pioneer: http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/onli ... fmccc.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ]
1969 - Houston Intercontinental Airport officially began operations. As of 12:01 that morning, it replaced Hobby Airport, which ceased commercial flights. (Hobby was reopened to commercial traffic a couple of years later.) Some 80,000 visitors attended the opening ceremonies. The new airport had its origins in 1957, when the Civil Aeronautics Administration recommended that the city of Houston replace the overloaded Hobby Airport. In acres, Houston Intercontinental is the nation's second largest airport, behind Dallas-Fort Worth.
2002 - The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, a privately-funded 501 (c)(3) organization, opened its new 33,000-square-foot, $21 million facility in the Fort Worth Cultural District. The museum, formerly known as the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center, moved to Fort Worth in 1994. The National Cowgirl Hall of Fame was conceived in 1975 when the board of directors of the Deaf Smith County Chamber of Commerce sought a unique and inspirational attraction to boost civic pride for their county seat, Hereford. The board decided to honor the women of professional rodeo by starting the annual All-Girl Rodeo, held at the Riders' Club Arena in Hereford in August. By 1994 Margaret C. Formby(the organization's founding director) realized that the museum had again outgrown its location, and reluctantly began seeking a new venue. Thirty-two cities expressed interest, with Fort Worth chosen.
[for a fascinating read: http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/onli ... /lbn5.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ]
