1. In 1844, Texas annexed the small strip of land known as the "Republic of Texas", which extended the state's boundaries to the Rio Grande River.

2. On July 3, 1863, a small skirmish took place in Brownsville, TX, between Confederate soldiers and Union sympathizers. The Union soldiers were able to convince the Confederate army to surrender.

3. In 1906, Samuel Rudolph Neel became the first African-American to pass the Texas Bar Exam after being denied the opportunity to attend law school due to his race.

4. On July 3, 1966, The University of Texas at Austin adopted its first official intercollegiate athletic logo, the "Hook 'em Horns" hand sign.

5. In 2013, Texas passed a controversial anti-abortion bill, known as HB 2, which led to a Supreme Court case that drastically impacted abortion laws nationwide.