1. On January 7, 1839, the Congress of the Republic of Texas established the city of Austin as the capital of the newly formed state of Texas. This decision was made after years of debate about the location of the capital, and the city was named in honor of Stephen F. Austin, the "Father of Texas."

2. In 1902, the first game of football played in the state of Texas under modern rules took place on January 7. It was a match between Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin, with A&M emerging as the victors. This game marked the beginning of a longstanding rivalry between the two universities that continues to this day.

3. On January 7, 1971, the Houston Rockets played their first game at the Astrodome, becoming the first NBA team to play a game indoors on artificial turf. The Rockets defeated the New York Knicks 111-109 in front of a crowd of over 33,000 spectators.

4. In 1985, on January 7, astronaut Dr. William E. Thornton, a native of Faison, North Carolina, became the first Texan to fly aboard the space shuttle. Dr. Thornton served as a mission specialist on the STS-8 mission, which was the third flight of the Challenger space shuttle.

5. Finally, on January 7, 1992, the Texas Lottery officially began operations, with the first drawing taking place on May 29 of that year. The lottery has since become a significant source of revenue for the state of Texas, with proceeds going towards education and other important state initiatives.