Texas History
June 25, 2019
From the Archives: After the Apollo Program Ended, NASA Settled on a New, Less Glamorous Mission
The shuttle age commences, becomes routine, and draws to a close, while Mars beckons.
Texas History
Texas History
June 25, 2019
From the Archives: During the Space Race’s Early Days, Americans Dared to Do the Impossible—and Did.
America finds inspiration and salvation on the moon—and then keeps going.
By Al Reinert
and
Skip Hollandsworth![Skip Hollandsworth's Profile Photo]()
Texas History
June 19, 2019
Why This Mexican Village Celebrates Juneteenth
Descendants of slaves who escaped across the southern border observe Texas’s emancipation holiday with their own unique traditions.
By Wes Ferguson![Wes Ferguson's Profile Photo]()
Texas History
June 18, 2019
It’s Time to Rename Fort Hood for a Truly Texan Hero: Roy Benavidez
We should honor this badass Medal of Honor winner, not an incompetent Confederate general who fought against the United States government in defense of slavery.
Texas History
June 5, 2019
Five Creative Proposals for the Battleship Texas’s Future
What should be done with the historic dreadnought once it’s relocated from its longtime home?
Books
May 14, 2019
Does Tony Horwitz’s New Book Get Texas Right?
In ‘Spying on the South,’ the author of the bestselling ‘Confederates in the Attic’ offers a few pungent opinions about the Lone Star State.
Texas History
April 16, 2019
Is This the Most Houston Historical Marker of All Time?
First of all, it memorializes a parking garage.
Texas History
January 3, 2019
Marfa’s Blackwell School Has a Painful Past. That’s Why the Town Wants to Save It.
A segregated school for Mexican American children until 1965, the building now serves as a community center and celebration of Hispanic life.
Texas History
December 17, 2018
H.W. Brands: “We Appreciate Presidents More After They Leave Office”
The historian and author on how we reassess past presidencies and when he believes we’ll have enough perspective to begin judging Trump's.
Politics & Policy
December 10, 2018
George H.W. Bush and the Texas Media
The 41st president was described as his own best press secretary—especially with the Texas media.
Texas History
December 6, 2018
The Economy and ‘Read My Lips,’ Not Ross Perot, Cost President Bush His 1992 Reelection
Dallas billionaire Ross Perot often is miscast as a spoiler in the election that saw Bill Clinton replace George H.W Bush in the White House.
Texas History
December 5, 2018
Notes from President George H.W. Bush’s Funeral
It was a funeral marked far more often by humor than by maudlin sentiment.
Texas History
December 1, 2018
Reactions to the Death of George H. W. Bush
The 41st president was the oldest living former president in the history of the United States
Texas History
November 30, 2018
President George H. W. Bush Dies at 94
The 41st president's death comes less than eight months after that of his wife, Barbara.
Texas History
November 28, 2018
Barack Obama and James Baker Show Houston Crowd the Art of a Bipartisan Discussion
The former president held a conversation with former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, with whom he found much common ground.
Texas History
November 10, 2018
One Texan’s POW Memories On Veterans Day
Plano Representative Sam Johnson kept two artifacts from those dark days that now belong to the Smithsonian.
Texas History
October 30, 2018
Sugar Land May Relocate Skeletal Remains of African American Inmates Against Advice of Task Force
After discovering the convict cemetery in March, the city appointed a panel of stakeholders. Now it’s ignoring their recommendation.
Texas History
October 5, 2018
Vintage Postcards of Texas: Music Hall at Fair Park, Home of the State Fair
With the state fair in full swing and the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners teeing it up in the Cotton Bowl, we start our series in Dallas.
Texas History
September 6, 2018
Should Texas Schoolchildren Be Taught That Alamo Defenders Were ‘Heroic’?
A committee is recommending that the State Board of Education cut the word from the school curriculum standards because it is ’value-charged.’
Texas History
August 1, 2018
As First Anniversary of Harvey Approaches, Online Museum and Archive Set to Debut
In a city notorious for neglecting its history, two new initiatives aim to preserve memories of the storm.
Texas History
July 20, 2018
For Local Activist, Discovery of Sugar Land Cemetery for Convict Laborers Was No Surprise
The Richmond resident warned Fort Bend ISD of the presence of graves, but no one listened—until they started finding human remains.
Feature
June 22, 2018
The Jackie Robinson of Rodeo
Five decades ago, Myrtis Dightman broke the color barrier in professional rodeo and became one of the best bull riders who ever lived. But his imprint on the sport was only just beginning.
Texas History
April 17, 2018
A Nation Reacts to the Death of Barbara Bush
Presidents past and present, as well as leaders from across the political spectrum, mourn the death of the former first lady.
Texas History
April 17, 2018
Former First Lady Barbara Bush Dies
She was only the second woman in U.S. history to have been married to one president and the mother of a second president.
Texas History
April 17, 2018
Barbara Bush Had a Good Life But a Hard One
As I have aged and faced my own challenges as a female on this planet, I have come to a different understanding of Barbara Bush.
By Mimi Swartz![Mimi Swartz's Profile Photo]()
Texas History
April 15, 2018
Barbara Bush, in Failing Health, Forgoes Medical Treatment, Family Says
In an announcement, the former first lady has decided against any further medical treatment and will focus on comfort care.
Texas History
April 13, 2018
Newly Discovered Cemetery Vindicates Sugar Land Activist
Over 30 bodies have been discovered on a former prison farm in Fort Bend County.
Texas History
April 13, 2018
The Remarkable Rise of One of Texas’s Most Accomplished Families
How an African-American family managed to rise to prominence during the height of Jim Crow-era segregation.
Texas History
April 13, 2018
San Antonio Is the Mother of Texas
The city that gave birth to the republic continues to nourish the traits that distinguish the state’s character.
Sports
April 10, 2018
A Domecoming to Remember
Thousands of Houstonians turned out to get a last look at the Astrodome before its renovation.
Texas History
April 6, 2018
The Raid on YFZ Ranch, Ten Years Later
A decade after the largest custody battle in U.S. history, some of those involved speak about their memories.
By Katy Vine![Katy Vine's Profile Photo]()
Texas History
March 21, 2018
The FBI Agent Who Can’t Stop Thinking About Waco
A quarter century after 82 Branch Davidians and 4 federal officers died outside Waco, retired FBI agent Byron Sage still can't stop thinking—and arguing—about what happened.
Arts & Entertainment
March 20, 2018
The Last Stand at Alamo Village
Remembering "The Alamo" through souvenir shot glasses, John Wayne toilet paper, and the family that brought the 1960 classic to Texas.
Texas History
March 8, 2018
Talk Like a Texan: To Chunk, or to Chuck?
Welcome to chunking territory.
Texas History
March 8, 2018
Meet the 26-Year-Old LBJ Enthusiast Who Had Her Bachelorette Party at His Presidential Library
The New York resident flew to Austin to celebrate LBJ-style.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Texas History
February 16, 2018
Talk Like a Texan: What Do We Mean By “Fair to Middlin’ ”?
It's better than good—at least if you're talking about cotton quality.
Film & TV
February 6, 2018
It’s Movie Night at the Alamo—No, the Real One
Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced a commemoration of the Battle of the Alamo that includes the historically questionable John Wayne movie.
Texas History
February 6, 2018
Talk Like a Texan: How Texans Use “Down,” “Out,” “Over,” and “Up”
Prepositionally, you can go over or out to Abilene—depending on where you're coming from.
Books
January 23, 2018
A Tale of Two Texas Families
New books from Roger D. Hodge and Bryan Mealer draw an unsparing portrait of rural Texas.
Texas History
January 23, 2018
A Brief History of Texas Innovators
Ours is a land of resourceful, imaginative, inventive, and self-reliant people. It has always been this way.
Film & TV
December 21, 2017
The Wildcatters
Can a 1960s novel with a cult following finally become the blockbuster film its fans believe it should be?
Politics & Policy
November 22, 2017
Inside a Lifelong Obsession With the Kennedy Assassination
The recent release of JFK files is probably the last significant injection of new information into the psychic landscape in which assassination theorists like Mark North have resided for the past 54 years.
Politics & Policy
November 19, 2017
Remembering Houston’s National Women’s Conference Forty Years Later
Looking back at a crucial weekend seen as the high-water mark of the 1970s women’s movement
Texas History
November 9, 2017
Jack Ruby’s Diary Is the Latest Piece of JFK Memorabilia Headed to Auction
A brief look at the unique world of JFK auctions.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Texas History
October 29, 2017
The Complete Story of the River Oaks Tank
The HOA wasn’t the only foe that Tony Buzbee and his tank, Cheyenne, faced in the Battle of River Oaks Boulevard.
Texas History
October 27, 2017
Here’s What We Found Out From the JFK File Dump
Most of it was pretty lackluster, but there were a few interesting tidbits.
Sports
October 13, 2017
Let’s Hope This Year’s TX-OU Game Doesn’t Repeat the 1947 Game
The last time the Longhorns and Sooners faced off with brand new coaches, the game led into a riot.
Texas History
October 9, 2017
UT Tower Victims Reflect on the Shooting in Las Vegas
Half a century after the 1966 UT tower massacre, mass shootings have only become more common.
Texas History
September 29, 2017
The Heyday of Chili Con Carne
The official state dish reached its apotheosis in the era of San Antonio’s Chili Queens.
Texas History
September 20, 2017
The Battle For El Paso’s South Side
With the south side of El Paso up for grabs, everyone seems to have an idea about what the city’s future should look like.