1. In 1749, Spanish explorer Domingo Terán de los Ríos visited what is now East Texas, making observations and maps of the region.

2. On April 13, 1817, the Battle of Medina took place near San Antonio. The battle, which resulted in a devastating defeat for the rebels fighting for Mexican independence, remains one of the bloodiest in Texas history.

3. In 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico, and on April 13 of that year, General Zachary Taylor began his siege of the Mexican city of Matamoros, just across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas.

4. On April 13, 1928, the Texas Rangers played their first game at Arlington Stadium. The game, against the Boston Red Sox, resulted in a 16-2 Rangers victory.

5. In 1972, legendary astronaut Gene Cernan, a native of Bell County, Texas, became the last man to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 17 mission. Cernan died in 2017 at the age of 82.