1. In 1859, the first oil well in Texas was drilled by Lyne T. Barret on a hill near Corsicana. The well produced 10 barrels of oil per day and launched the state's oil and gas industry.

2. On July 23, 1887, the town of Hico, Texas, held its first Chautauqua assembly, a series of educational lectures and cultural events that were popular at the turn of the 20th century. The Hico Chautauqua continued annually until 1913 and brought famous speakers and entertainers to the small town.

3. Legendary Texas congressman Sam Rayburn was born on July 23, 1882, in Roane County, Texas. Rayburn served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 48 years and was Speaker of the House for 17 years, making him the longest-serving Speaker in U.S. history.

4. In 1999, the Space Shuttle Columbia, carrying five NASA astronauts, was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission, STS-93, was notable for being the first shuttle flight commanded by a woman, Eileen Collins, and for deploying the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which would help scientists better understand the universe.

5. On July 23, 2016, five Dallas police officers were killed and seven others were injured in a shooting during a protest against police brutality. The tragedy shocked the city and the nation, leading to renewed conversations about race, policing, and gun violence.