1. In 1817, the pirate Jean Lafitte arrived in Galveston Bay with a fleet of ships and established a base there. He and his men preyed on ships in the Gulf of Mexico for several years, until they were eventually driven out by American forces in 1821.

2. On July 12, 1854, the town of Gainesville was established in north Texas. It was named in honor of General Edmund P. Gaines, who served in the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War.

3. In 1872, the first recorded tornado in Texas history struck the town of Brenham, killing two people and causing significant damage. Tornadoes are a frequent occurrence in Texas, with an average of 140 tornadoes reported in the state each year.

4. On July 12, 1925, the Scopes Monkey Trial came to an end in Tennessee. The trial was a landmark case in the debate over evolution and the teaching of creationism in public schools. It also had implications for Texas, where similar debates continue to this day.

5. In 1962, a record-breaking heat wave swept across Texas, with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit for 42 consecutive days. The heat caused widespread drought and wildfires, and also contributed to the deaths of hundreds of people and animals. The summer of 1962 remains one of the hottest and driest periods in Texas history.