1. On December 14, 1830, the Mexican government, which then controlled Texas, established the colony of Bastrop, named after American entrepreneur, Philip Bastrop. The colony allowed American settlers to move into Mexican-controlled Texas.

2. The Texas Legislature met for the first time on December 14, 1846. At the time, Texas had only been annexed into the United States for six months. The legislature met in a makeshift building in Austin and spent much of its first session discussing the possibility of secession from the U.S.

3. In 1857, a gang led by notorious outlaw, Sam Bass, robbed their first stagecoach in Texas on December 14th. The robbery took place near Round Rock, Texas and netted the gang $4,000. The robbery eventually led to a shootout with the Texas Rangers, in which Bass was killed.

4. On December 14, 1964, the Houston Colt .45s announced that they were changing their name to the Houston Astros, in anticipation of moving into the Astrodome the following year. The Astrodome was the world's first indoor sports venue and was nicknamed the "Eighth Wonder of the World."

5. In 2012, the town of Newtown, Connecticut experienced one of the deadliest school shootings in American history when a gunman killed 20 children and 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School. On December 14th of that year, the Dallas Mavericks held a moment of silence before their game in honor of the victims. Mavericks player, Dirk Nowitzki, also donated $20,000 to the United Way of Western Connecticut to support the families affected by the tragedy.