Texas Icons
Stories of the characters, places, and institutions that have shaped the great state of Texas for the past fifty years.
Illustration by Braulio Amado; animation by Lyon Graulty
How Texas’s Mexican Food Scene Became the Most Exciting in the U.S.
The days when Mexican food on this side of the border was all about crispy tacos and yellow cheese are long behind us, thanks to innovative chefs and cultural shifts.
Read the Full Story“The taco is a culinary welcome wagon, inviting Texans to be more adventurous in their eating habits while offering immigrant diners a passage into American cuisine.”
Sports
The Dallas Cowboys Used to Sell NFL Dynasties. Now They Sell Drama.
It’s been almost thirty years since America’s Team last played in the Super Bowl, yet fans remain hooked on Jerry Jones’s soap opera.
Politics & History
The Pastor of Dallas’s First Baptist on W. A. Criswell, Donald Trump, and God Himself
Robert Jeffress resuscitated a once powerful church—and courted controversy too.
Texas, By the Numbers
Business & Innovation
Consider the Windmill
Along with its descendant, the towering wind turbine, this spindly mechanism turns fast and slow, measuring out our days.
Texas, By the Numbers
The Arts
It’s Time to Reexamine One of the Most Beloved Books About Texas
Regarded by many Texans as a classic work of history, T. R. Fehrenbach’s ‘Lone Star’ contains racist ideas that shouldn’t be ignored.
Texas, By the Numbers
Style
In the Decades Since Farrah’s Iconic Poster, Texas’s Beauty Standard Has Evolved
Fawcett set the standard in the 1970s—blond, thin, and smiling. Thankfully, that’s changed.
Read the Full Story“Neiman’s was far more than a store. It was a finishing school for the well-bred, proof to the outside world that Texas was not a place dominated by hicks or flashy rubes.”
The Natural World
Read the Full Story“Again and again, when the chips are down, Texans have managed to prevail.”
Show Credits
Statistics: Nelson: Paul Drinkwater/NBCU/Getty; Whataburger: Rick Lewis/Alamy
Section openers: Food & Drink: Roy Perez: LeAnn Mueller; state fair: UT San Antonio Libraries Special Collections/Portal to Texas History; Bay City Dairy Queen: Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP; Mayfield Dairy Queen: Courtesy of Mayfield Dairy Queen; soda jerk: Corbis/Getty; beer: Chelsea Kyle
Sports: Duncan and Popovich: Eric Gay/AP; Altuve: Cal Sport Media/AP; UT football: Rich Clarkson/Sports Illustrated/Getty; Trevino: Eric Renard/Corbis/Getty; Mahomes: Peter G. Aiken/Getty; Biles: Jamie Squire/Getty; Johnson: Otto Greule Jr/Allsport/Getty
Politics & History: Jordan: AP; Bush: J. Scott Applewhite/AP; gun rally: Eric Gay/AP; Abbott: Eric Gay/AP; troops: Corbis/Getty; First Baptist Church: illustration by Braulio Amado; Legislature: Bob Daemmrich
Business & Innovation: Perot: Bettman/Getty; NASA: Bettman/Getty; oil rig: Getty; pump jack: Getty; Southwest: illustration by Braulio Amado; Atlantis: Dan Winters; H-E-B: Zintgraff Studio Photographic Collection/University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections
The Arts: Nelson: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty; Kimbell: Joyce Marshall/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty; Jimenez: Michel Linssen/Redferns/Getty; Kimbell Piano Pavilion: Joyce Marshall/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty; Rodriguez: Rick Kern/Getty; Clark Jr: Javier Bragado/Redferns/Getty; Majors and Jones: illustration by Anthony Gerace
Fashion: Neiman Marcus: Eleanor LeMaire/Esto Photographics; Quinceaneras: Sarah Wilson; Fawcett: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Beyonce: Kevin Mazur/Getty for Coachella; Wrangler: Robert Alexander/Getty; Wyatt: Gareth Cattermole/Getty; Fawcett and Beyonce: illustration by Anthony Gerace
The Natural World: Barton, lily pads, woods: Nick Simonite; feral hogs: Rodger Mallison/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty; tarpon: Getty; horny toad: Getty; Big Bend: Laurence Parent